The Forgotten Son
by Vincent Sekod
Summary: What happens when things you don't want remembered in your past come back to haunt you? What happens when you lose someone you love because of it? What is hidden deep within the Forgotten Son's past? COMPLETE! Review if you like it!
1. Chapter 1

**The Forgotten Son**

Recently Squall thought about his past battles, mostly about Ultimecia. He delivered the last blow but… even though she's dead in our time, won't she still be born in the past? He decided not to dwell on it any longer as he looked out across the vast ocean before him. He leaned back from the control console of Garden and sighed.

"It's been two years since then." He said thinking out loud. "I wonder how Seifer's doing?"

He closed his eyes and thought back to the battle with Seifer that gave him his tell-tale scar.

The clouds that day looked greyer than usual, a storm was coming and Squall knew he had to finish this last training session with his rival Seifer Almasy quickly. In fact he had agreed to this fight only because he wanted to test out how much he had improved since their last battle a year ago.

"Are you ready Seifer?" Squall asked bringing his gunblade to the battle position.

"Yeah, but the real question is, are _you_ ready to be beat again like last year?"

'Cocky bastard' thought squall snorting.

Seifer smiled at him seeing the signature teeth grind Squall did when teased or poked fun at.

"I'm ready Leonhart whenever you want to attack, bring it on."

Seifer raised his gunblade _Hyperion_ to eye level as Squall prepares for the attack.

A battle cry, Squall rushes Seifer at full speed. Their gundblades spark as the Squall's first strike is blocked and he came around for another attack. An overhead slash, blocked yet again by Seifer who, with a smile, pushes the attack aside like nothing.

"Damn it Seifer, you're not taking this seriously!" Yelled Squall.

"Why should I? You're not really that much of a challenge."

Squall grunts and attacks again, this time a stabbing move. Blocked. He tries again but still no success. Squall jumps back and takes a few deep breathes.

'How do I get him?' he thought looking around.

"What's the matter Leonhart?" Chuckled Seifer, "Forget something?"

Squall looked up at Seifer his teeth bared in anger and eyes narrowed.

"No."

He lowered his gunblade in his right hand and ran towards Seifer with his other hand up. Seifer smiled and raised his own hand as a Fire blast hit Squall knocking him down dazed. Before he could recover Seifer came over to him, weapon raised. Squall looked up at him and then… Seifer struck him with his gunblade across the face leaving a trail of blood on the hard rocky ground of the training area. A new spark ignited in Squalls eyes as he stood up and ran toward his opponent. A single upward slash and Seifer had the same mark as him. Then silence…

"Squall?"

'Who is it?' he thought, his eyes still closed.

"Squall wake up."

He opened his eyes slightly and saw another pair of brown ones looking into his own.

"Rinoa?" He asked with a groggy yawn. "Why are you here?

"Zu was wondering where you were."

Squall opened his eyes completely and smiled seeing Rinoa standing no more than a foot away from him as he lay on the floor of the Bridge of Garden. He had always loved the way her eyes looked so deeply into his own whenever they were this close, it made him melt the cold hard exterior know around Garden as "The Ice Princess". She was the only one who could let Squall be… Squall without making him feel uncomfortable and he loved her even more for it.

"Are you sure?" He asked with a grin. "I mean the Bridge is usually empty when I'm here and nobody comes up here either."

"Ooh you're so naughty Squall… I think Irvine is starting to rub off on you."

They both laughed and Rinoa helped him up from the floor. She grabs his hand and looks out to the ocean.

"I remember that night two years ago Squall, the moon was full and bright, and that was the first time I saw you smile. That beautiful smile that just melted away any problem on my mind."

Squall snickered at the comment and pulled Rinoa closer to him.

"I also remember that was the first time I kissed you."

He moved in and kissed her lightly on the lips and she gasped slightly as he moved away.

"Now then," He started, "Where's our next objective?"

"Well," Rinoa replied grinning, "We could always go back to the orphanage… it's been so long since we've all been there. We could go and see the flowers; they're so pretty in the spring."

Squall nodded and pushed the large joystick-like steering rod towards Edea's, or Matron as her orphans called her, orphanage. It was the place that the entire group had met, Seifer, Squall, Quistis, Selphie, Irvine, and Zell. It was merely by chance that they all met up years later fighting Ultimecia at the very same orphanage. It seemed as though Squall felt a kind of security there and would often go there to relax and just "get away form it all." In fact he had once thought about rebuilding the house itself and living there with Rinoa, but alas his _Commander_ duties didn't leave much time for leisure or a relationship for that matter. He cherished every moment he spent with Rinoa and hated every time they sent him on some mission throughout the world. Then again, he was the Commander of Garden and of SeeD, the tactical war fighting group paid and used by any party able to find the funds. Both of these things left him with very little time, and very little patience. In the end, however, things did work out. He was still Commander and he still had Rinoa with him all was well in his mind.

After some time of flying in Garden Squall looked out to see the Orphanage at the edge of a large cliff. He drifted Garden close enough and then set it down.

"Will all SeeD Members Squad A please report to the Bridge." He called through the intercom. "I repeat will all Squad A SeeD Members please report to the bridge."

He put down the intercom and sighed. If there was one thing he knew it was that, while he didn't always show it, Squall actually liked having his friends around. It would be nice to go back to where they all met once again.

* * *

I told you I was coming back. Here's my story I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it. Tell me what you think and review. Vincent Sekod 


	2. Chapter 2

After a few minutes the rest of the "motley crew" had met in the bridge of Garden and waited as Squall made the announcement. He turned to them with a slight smirk, but with his signature stare.

"Alright everyone." He started. "Zell, Rinoa, Selphie, Quistis, Irvine… you're all here, good. Now as you can see we've stopped for a little break at the Orphanage." He pointed out the window to the crumbling building.

"I want all of you to try and relax until we get going on the next mission. Just go and try to have fun or something…"

They all look at Squall and shake their heads.

"I don't know what you did to Squall," Said Zell. "But we want the real one back."

They all nod in agreement.

"Hey guys! What are you talking about?" Said Squall with a smile. "I'm the same Squall Leonhart you knew. I know we've all just been under some stress lately with all of these missions in the past month. What with the Esthar War against the Galbadians we've only had a few days off. Even I feel like I need a break so you guys go and take one too."

Rinoa nodded and smiled as Squall finished.

"We all need something to relax right now." She said. "If anything… you get to get away from Garden for a little while."

Zell looked at Squall and gave him a thumb up.

"Let's go then." Squall grabbed the intercom yet again. "All classes have been cancelled for the day, I repeat all classes have been cancelled enjoy your break."

He set down the intercom microphone and sighed rubbing the bridge of his nose. Rinoa came up behind him as he faced away from his friends and gave him a hug.

"Are you okay?" she whispered to him.

"Yeah, just a little stressed is all." He whispered back. "Alright," he said louder as he faced his friends. "You're all dismissed until further notice… have fun guys."

They all nodded to Squall and salute as they left the bridge area now with Rinoa and Squall alone. She moved closer to him and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. He smiled and slowly returned her kiss on her soft supple lips.

"I love you Rinoa." He said in an almost whisper as they broke off their kiss.

"I love you too."

He put both gloved hands on the side of her face and drew her closer for yet another loving kiss.

Down already at the Orphanage the whole group recently on the bridge scanned the area for good places to sit. Irvine saw a nice perch for him and Selphie to sit. Quistis had taken a spot with a beautiful view of the ocean behind the orphanage. Zell, however, had to settle for the rough patch of soil next to the building. It had taken a few more minutes for Squall and Rinoa to exit Garden and make they're way to the Orphanage. Rinoa ran to the field of bright yellow flowers to the left of the entrance to the Orphanage Squall followed close behind her with a contented smile. It seemed no how down he was feeling as long as Rinoa smiled he felt happy. He figured that's what happened when you actually opened up to someone, maybe. Squall spotted Rinoa at the edge of the field with a bright smile on her face and he walked up behind her and gave her a light hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Do you remember the first time we came here?" He asked.

"Yes." She said in his arms. "I remember the promise we made."

He sighed and nodded slightly at her comment. He remembered it alright… it was at that point that he somewhat realized how much he actually cared for her. He hugged her tighter and breathed in taking in her sweet scent. She leaned back into his arms and closed her eyes.

"I always liked this place." She said in a whisper.

"Me too." He replied in the same whisper.

"Hey!"

Squall and Rinoa look back hearing the tell-tale voice of Zell yelling for their attention.

"What is it Zell?" Yelled Squall in return.

"I don't know… but something's moving inside the orphanage and I ain't going to go look for it."

Squall sighed and looked back at Rinoa as he rolled his eyes.

"The scaredy-cat needs me to squash a bug." He chuckled letting go of her and walked back to the building.

Zell stood outside the decrepit and halfway broken door of the orphanage grimacing as Squall came up from the hill that led to the field of flowers where he had left Rinoa. He looked at Zell with an ashamed sigh.

"I thought you were the tough one Zell." Said Squall with a slight chuckle.

"Hey I don't mess with bugs… you know how much I hate 'em man!" He shuddered at the thought.

Squall shook his head, "opened" the door and proceeded into the crumbling building they all once called home. He went to the first room on the left and entered looking in only a few seconds then receding back to what was left of the hallway. He continued deeper into the orphanage searching left and right here and there. He walked to the end of the house and looked at the last door leading to the basement.

'I guess I'd better check.' He thought as he turned the old and rusted door knob.

The door opened with a loud crack as it fell off of its hinges and into the hallway before Squall.

'Well, that was close…'

He looked down the damp and molded steps to the basement with a slight sickening jolt in his stomach. Squall, nevertheless, headed down the steps the light grew increasingly less and less with every step he took.

'Great… you forgot a flashlight.' He thought as he descended further into the darkness.

As he reached the bottom of the slippery steps he looked around the almost pitch black room and had decided that there was nothing there when he heard a quiet cough in the far corner of the room.

"Who's there?" He called out to the dark room.

No answer.

"I said who's there? Show yourself, I won't hurt you."

He half said it to make himself feel better about the situation.

"Come on out, whoever you are. Just tell me who you are and why you're here."

The cough was heard again, this time behind Squall.

'How did they get behind me?'

He turned towards the steps and saw the silhouette of a young man sneaking up them. Squall called out to the man on the steps one more time, yet again no answer. The man just coughed one more time before attempting to craw up the stairs.

"Hey listen do you need help?" Squall squinted to see some kind of features on the man.

"No… I'm fine by my self." The small sickly man answered in a high yet quiet and scratchy voice.

Squall was taken aback by the man's voice he sounded no older than 16 yet looked, from what he could see in the pale light, about his age. He continued to crawl weakly up the steps coughing every step he attempted to climb.

"Hey, let me help." He moved to the man, yet stopped as he put up a hand with some effort.

"I said I'm fine!"

It was more of a forceful whisper than a yell… and he collapsed at that very moment. Squall ran up to the man and looked him over as best as he could then picked him up, surprised by his light weight, and carried him up the steps and out to the from of the orphanage. As he laid him down on the ground the young man opened his eyes for a few seconds.

"Hey, what's your name?" Asked Squall somewhat panicked.

He looked around then back at Squall with a slight smile and gave him a wispy reply.

"Max… Caron."

He then went unconscious again into a world of darkness and silence.

What did you think? A little too mushy? Well what ever you think read and review please. No flaming… it's just not nice. Hope you liked reading it as much as I liked writing it. Vincent Sekod


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn't until about 3 hours later that the mysterious young man woke up in the Infirmary. Dr. Kadowaki had been looking over him for the time being and had called Squall and Rinoa as soon as he regained consciousness. They arrived merely minutes after her page and walked into the Infirmary to check up on the patient.

"So," Said Squall walking into the room. "What's his condition Doctor?"

"He's stable and conscious, I've given him some medication for the pain he seems to be suffering from… malnutrition I believe. Try to get the poor boy to eat if you can."

Squall nodded to the doctor as Rinoa stepped into the room and looked over at the only occupied bed in the room. She walked over to the boy and knelt down beside his bed.

"Hey," She said with a smile." How are you feeling now?"

He shook his head as if he heard a loud sound and looked over to her. He smiled slightly but then turned away again.

"I'm okay I guess… I'm not hurting anymore." He replied in the same wispy voice from before except a bit stronger.

"So what's your name huh?" she asked with and even bigger smile.

"Max… Max Caron."

Squall looked over at the two speaking and returned to his conversation with the Doctor.

"So he hasn't eaten anything since he woke up?"

"No I tried right before I paged you… wouldn't touch it." She said shaking her head.

"I'll try and get some more information out of him, if you think he's healthy enough."

Dr. Kadowaki nodded and Squall walked over to Rinoa and Max still turned away from her on the bed. He Kneels down to Rinoa and whispers to her.

"He say anything?"

"Not much," she replied in the same whisper. "Just his name and he says he's not hurting."

"Thanks. Could I talk to him for a little while?"

Rinoa nodded and stood up. She walked over to Dr. Kadowaki and started talking. Squall looked back over to Max and tapped him on his back lightly.

"Hey Max. That's your name right?" He asked watching him turn back

"Yeah… what do you want?"

"Well first I guess, how did you end up in Matron's Orphanage?"

Max rolled his eyes at squall and snorted.

"You really want to know?" He said with a cold smirk.

"Yes Max… Why were you there?"

"Well," started Max. "I wasn't there very long… I was only there about 10 minutes before your Garden came up."

He paused and waited for Squall's reaction… nothing.

"Anyway," Max continued. "I was out practicing when I was attacked by… I think it was a Ruby Dragon. Beat the crap out of me before I could escape to your orphanage."

Squall looked a bit shocked at the statement… not many could survive a Ruby Dragon alone. Even he and his friends had trouble with the beast.

"I found the lowest part of the house and just hid there… then I heard your Garden show up… thought maybe it was another dragon so I just stayed there until you found me and took me here."

Squall stood up and rubbed the bridge of his nose again.

'How does that explain the malnutrition?' he thought looking over Max.

Max turned over again and waved his hand at Squall to leave.

"If there's nothing else could you leave me alone now?"

"Sure… just try to eat something okay. You look hungry."

He waved again and Squall walked back to Dr. Kadowaki and Rinoa quietly talking about some unrelated matter. Rinoa looked back at Squall and smiled.

"Find out anything?" She asked as he came near.

"He was practicing around the orphanage and was attacked… he hid in the basement. That's all."

The doctor frowned a bit.

"Did he say he was going to eat? He needs to." Asked the doctor.

"I told him he should… but it doesn't seem like he will."

They all looked at Max, his back still turned to them, and sigh.

"Nope." Giggled Rinoa

"Well you two better be off until I need you again." Said Dr. Kadowaki. "I'll call you when he's healthy enough to leave the infirmary."

Squall nodded and grabbed Rinoa's hand lightly as he led her out of the Infirmary. He brought her to the far side of the hall and stopped near the rail separating the floor from the fountain. He sat on the railing and Rinoa soon joined him.

"What's wrong Squall?" She asked playing with his short brown hair.

"Nothing, he just seemed a little... arrogant I guess."

"I think he's just been through a lot in a short amount of time."

"Maybe." Squall reached up and stopped Rinoa's hand in his hair for a second.

"What?" She asked a bit confused.

He moved her hand to his face and lightly kissed it.

"Nothing… I just like this better." He smiled.

Rinoa smiled back and leaned in closer to plant a kiss on squall's lips once again. He couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks," He beamed. "I needed that."

He hopped off of the railing and waited as Rinoa followed suit. He held out his and as she took it began walking down the circular hall towards the front of Garden. They had just reached the elevator when Squall noticed something behind him. He stopped and ran to the front of Garden's gate looking out towards the sea. He squinted as he saw a ship approaching as high speed.

'What? Is that the White SeeD ship?" He looked again and his suspicions were at once verified.

He ran back to the elevator and began pushing the button. He waited for it to return to the bottom floor then dashed in pulling Rinoa with him. She looked at him stunned and tried to get an answer out of him… all in vain. They reached the top level and Squall ran directly to the bridge intercom and turned it on.

"All Junior Students please report to your homerooms, I repeat all Junior Students please report to your homerooms. Other students report to the Garden Gate."

Rinoa had just reached Squall as he threw down the intercom.

"What's wrong Squall?" she sounded worried.

"Seifer's coming." He said coldly.

"What? But… I thought he was fighting in Esthar?"

That's what I thought too… I guess he's come to finish the score huh? He just can't stand being beaten by me can he?"

Squall grit his teeth as he watched the ship approach, Seifer standing proudly on the bow.

'Damn it Seifer… why now?'

He pounded the bridge controls and sighed heavily.

'Why now?'

Didyou like it? I hope so! Well Reveiw please! hope you liked reading it as much as i had writing it! _Vincent Sekod._


	4. Chapter 4

Squall gathered the rest of the SeeD's at the Garden gate and awaited Seifer's arrival. He made sure to keep extra ranks just in case the enemy broke through the front line. It may have been over two years since Seifer led the first attack on Garden, but Squall wasn't going to let him board it with out a fight.

"Are all junior Classmen in their home rooms?" Squall asked Zell as he walked up to the gate.

"Yeah… we have the rest of Garden covered too. They ain't gonna get in here this time." He said with his signature smile.

"Good… keep me posted Zell."

They saluted each other and Squall ran for the infirmary. He greeted the doctor and warned her of the situation.

"Are you sure it's Seifer?" She asked him somewhat shocked.

Squall simply nodded.

"I want you to be as ready as you can for casualties. I don't expect him to give up easily. I need to speak with Max too… do you think he's healthy enough to help us?"

She looked over at the sleeping young man and thought for a few seconds then looked at her clipboard and shook her head, yes.

"Good. Wake him up and… give him his weapon."

The doctor nodded as Squall left the room to announce further orders to the other sections of Garden. Dr. Kadowaki reached behind her desk and pulled out a shiny red samurai sword.

'I didn't even know any one used these anymore… all these Gunblades they have now.' She thought walking to Max's bed.

She poked him lightly with his sword… he stirred but very little.

"Come one wake up, Squall needs you." She poked him a bit harder.

"No mom… five more minutes." He muttered.

She poked him even harder this time in his stomach. He coughed, but refused to wake up. Frustrated she hit him over the head very hard and yelled.

"Wake up Max!"

"Ouch!" he cried waking. He looked at the doctor pouting. "Hey I thought you were supposed to _heal_ your patients not hurt them."

She looked at him with an annoyed frown and hit him again.

"Ow!" He rubbed his head. "Hey Lady! That hurts!"

"I know… now listen you need to go and help Squall okay… go to the front gate of Garden and wait for orders."

He muttered something under his breath as he grabbed his sword from the doctor and headed out the infirmary door. After trekking around Garden for a few minutes, he finally reached the front gate lined with SeeDs from garden ready for battle. He looked around for any familiar faces but found none in the crowd. Zell however had seen him walked up and made his way to the young man.

"Hiya Max! You ready to beat some Galbadian ass?"

Max looked at him with a bemused expression. He could have sworn he heard Galbadia in that sentence. He shook it off and nodded to Zell's question. Zell grabbed him and pushed him to the front line of SeeDs.

"Hey buddy…" He started. "I'm sure you know how to use that sword, so I'll need your help for the first wave okay?"

Yet again Max nodded even though he didn't understand what was going on.

"Alright!" Zell Smiled at max and gave him a thumbs-up. "Better get ready. Seifer's one bad guy."

Seifer had been waiting for another chance attack Garden, but with the Galbadian War against Esthar still raging he had not had time to set up the attack plan. After that final defeat from Squall only two years ago, he wanted a rematch. Even after the fact that he lost to his rival three times before that he still had his pride to keep him going. After all pride is our greatest strength and weakness. As he stood on the bow of the White SeeD ship hurtling full speed at Balamb Garden he smirked remembering his old home and friends. Mostly though, Squall.

'I don't care if I have to blow that damn Garden to pieces. I'm going to kill you Squall." He thought as he looked out over the expanse of ocean between them.

He had been working on his Gunblade skills since that last fight and was sure he was at or above Squalls current level of skill. He even brought enough White SeeD's to put up a good fight with Garden; he had really thought this out this time. The only thing that stood in his way was Squall himself after he took care of him he would take over Garden and use it to help Galbadia in the war. A perfect plan if he did say so himself.

"Alright everyone!" He yelled to the White SeeDs on the deck of the ship. "Prepare for battle. I want you to crush the enemy and leave no prisoners behind!"

He turned back to the front of the ship and continued to look as the Garden came closer. He lifted his Gunblade _Hyperion_ into the air and slashed a few times.

"Let's go!" He pointed the Gunblade towards Garden as the boat picked up speed.

Squall had made sure to get all areas of Garden secure before he made his way back to the front gate. He looked around for Zell and found him in front with Max next to him. He walked over to the two of them, looked at Max, still somewhat confused by the situation, and talked to Zell.

"What's the situation?" He asked Zell.

"Not looking good." He replied. "The boat just picked up speed and it looks like they're getting ready to attack."

Squall shook his head at the news and looked back over at Max to his left. From what he could tell, he had probably had some combat training but he wasn't sure if he had enough.

"Are you okay Max?" He asked him putting a hand on his shoulder. He jerked away at first but then saw Squall and smiled.

"I'm okay… I just don't really know what's going on."

Squall explained the situation to him and the reason why Seifer was attacking them… well the most likely reason why. Max looked even more confused than before but shook his head as if he understood.

"We're fighting against Galbadia?" He asked Squall.

Squall nodded.

"But… I'm from there. I can't fight my own people."

'I didn't think he would.' Thought Squall. He turned back to Zell.

"He won't fight Zell. He's from Galbadia." He said coldly.

"What the hell! But we need all the people we can get right now!"

Squall slowly turned back to Max with a slight smile on his face.

"Are you sure you're not going to help us fight? We really need your help with this Max."

Max thought for a second and sighed. He looked up at Squall and shook his head, yes.

"I never liked the government anyway so I have no problem helping you guys." He smiled.

"Thanks."

They both nodded and looked back out to the ocean. The White SeeD ship _had_ gotten closer since the last time Squall was there. He could tell this battle would be difficult, but he also knew that the Garden SeeDs could handle what ever Seifer had to throw at them. He was ready, the SeeDs were ready, the only thing they could do was wait for Seifer to attack and that time seemed to be coming shortly.

Did you like it? I hope so! WellI hope you liked it as much asI liked to write it. Review please! _Vincent Sekod_


	5. Chapter 5

Seifer stood proudly on the bow of the White SeeD ship with a smirk on his face.

'You thought you could forget about me huh?' He thought. 'We'll see who's the better by the end of this.'

One of the White SeeDs walked to Seifer and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Yeah," he said a bit short. "What is it?"

"One minute to target, Captain." He reported.

Seifer waved him away with an even bigger smile on his face. He once again pointed his Gunblade to Garden.

"Everyone, prepare to destroy the enemy!"

Squall knew he would attack with everything he had and he was determined to stop Seifer in his tracks. There was no way he would let him into Garden again.

"What are ya thinking?" Asked Zell as he too prepared for the fight.

"We'll end this here and now, Zell." Squall replied. "It's about time we stopped him. I refuse to let him into Garden again."

Zell nodded and looked back over to Max now serious about fighting against his own people. The young boy had only been in the hospital a few hours and already he looked like he was back to normal… or at least somewhere near that. He may have been Squalls' age, but he still looked like a little kid to Zell. It seemed like no matter what you could not stop him from continuing with whatever he set his mind on. A good trait to have.

"You okay over there Max?" Zell asked the slightly shaking boy.

"Yeah I'm fine, it's just been a while since I've had to fight people. I still haven't gotten used to that."

Max looked back at Zell and smiled.

"I promise I'll do my best."

Zell nodded and turned back to the front gate. The ship had come almost right to the front gate. All they could do was wait for it to slam into Garden.

"Just a few more seconds and I can beat the crap out of that jerk.' Thought Zell.

As if the ship had heard him, it rammed into Gardens front gate sending some of the SeeDs to the ground. They regrouped themselves just in time to see the first wave of attackers.

"Damn it!" Screamed Squall. "Everyone get ready!"

The first wave of White SeeDs washed over the front line in a matter of seconds. The Garden SeeDs fought back with all their might. Squall took down a few of the White SeeDs as her tried to make his way to Seifer, still standing on the wrecked bow of the ship. It was chaos as every Garden SeeD tried to overcome their white counterparts. Zell had his hands full with a few White SeeDs himself and could not help Squall. A group of four White SeeDs had caught Squall off guard as they quickly surrounded him. In one smooth draw of his sword, Max cut two of the SeeDs in two. He looked over at Squall with blood still on his sword.

"I'll take care of these guys, you go and fight Seifer!"

Squall nodded and jumped over the remaining two White SeeDs in front of him. He began to run to Seifer his Revolver Gunblade in hand. Despite the fact that his Lionheart Gunblade was stronger, he still loved the reliability of his first weapon. He looked back only for a second to see Max as he attacked another group of White SeeDs with a frenzy of sword slashes. He looked back to Seifer and prepared for the final battle with his one and only rival.

Max and Zell kept attacking wave after wave of White SeeDs, but the seemed to keep coming.

"Damn it Zell!" Yelled Max. "Where the hell are they coming from?"

Zell only shook his head as he punched a White SeeD in the stomach. He looked back over to Max and pointed to the ships side. The White SeeDs kept pouring out of the ship from and entrance in that side. Max jumped and flipped over most of the White SeeDs and ran to the side of the ship, taking down more SeeDs as he went. He reached the entrance just as another wave of SeeDs came scrambling out to attack. He stopped just short of them and raised his Katana straight into the air. He let out a yell as a red flame surrounded him. He looked up at the White SeeDs, now stopped before him, with glowing red eyes.

"Flare Rush!"

Max ran at the whole group of about 25 White SeeDs at a blazing speed. He Jumped above them and began to dive towards the center of the group. A gigantic blast emanated as he hit the ground in the center of the group. As the blast lifted the group off their feet, Max dashed at each of them and attacked with a series of slashes quicker than the eye could see. He ran back to the center and sheathed his sword as they finally hit the ground around him. He looked back at the opening to the ship and raised his right hand.

"Flare!"

The opening began to melt ash the spell hit it. Soon the large opening had turned into nothing but another metal wall of the ship. Max looked at the group of dead White SeeDs around him and smiled. His eyes still red from the battle he let out a long and evil laugh.

"See mother!" He yelled to the sky. His tone of voice had changed completely from before, as if he was someone else. "I told you I could kill your precious little SeeDs."

He then looked back down to the dead SeeDs and picked one of them up by his head. Max unsheathed his sword and cut the head off the young SeeD as the body fell to the ground with a sickening thud. He looked back at the rest of the SeeDs fighting with Zell and smiled once again.

"More victims." He chuckled. "I'll have so much fun now!"

He ran back to Zell still smiling that twisted, evil smile. He jumped back over them and joined Zell in the middle of the scuffle.

"Need any help Zell?" He asked, his voice returning to normal.

"I need all the help I can get." He replied.

They looked at each other, nodded, and yelled as they attacked the White SeeDs with hall their remaining strength.

Squall stood at the foot of the ships bow breathing a bit heavily after his run. He looked up at Seifer with a scowl.

"This ends now Almasy." Squall said pointing his Gunblade at Seifer.

Seifer gave a smirk and pointed his own Gunblade back at Squall.

"Then let's finish it!"


	6. Chapter 6

It was not long after the initial attack that Rinoa, Selphie, and Quistis had an onrush of White SeeDs at the other end of Garden. Even with the help of other Garden SeeDs, the trio was having a hard time keeping their enemies at bay. The flow of White SeeDs seemed to increase as every minute passed by, but they tried their best to hold them off. Rinoa fired her pinwheel weapon at one of the SeeDs sending him to the ground, the weapon still lodged in his chest. She pulled it out and begat to attack the other White SeeDs around her. She was beginning to get tired after four waves of attacks from them and the fact that they had very few of their own SeeDs left didn't help the matter. It was becoming desperate for the group of girls, but they were going to fight with all their might to stop this invasion.

"Selphie!" Rinoa yelled. "Behind you!"

She spun around swinging, her nunchuku with her, knocking the attacker behind her to the ground. She stood up and smiled at Rinoa.

"Thanks Rinny!" Selphie continued to fight off her enemies as Rinoa looked for Quistis in the mass of fighters. It was becoming difficult to see anyone in the battling crowd, but she spotted her pink outfit soon enough.

"Quistis." Rinoa called out. "I need you to take over for now! I'm going to check the front."

She nodded, but Rinoa knew she didn't like the decision. She ran behind the front line of Garden SeeDs to see Irvine running at full speed toward her. He smiled slightly as he skidded to a stop before her.

"I'm here to help. You guys… girls, look you could use some." He tipped his hat up.

"Thanks Irvine, we really _do_ need your help right now." She pointed to the struggling forces behind her. He saw and immediately jumped in to help, firing at every opponent before him. It wasn't long until the balance seemed to be more tipped in their favor again. Seeing the situation under control again, she began to run to the front of Garden to check on their progress.

"Then let's finish it!" Seifer jumped from the bow of the White SeeD ship and brought his Gunblade down on Squall's with all his force. Their blades met and sparked as they began to attack one another. Every strike rang through the battlefield as they continued their assault. Squall tried an upward strike, but Seifer blocked it pushing his Gunblade away with ease.

"You've gotten rusty Leonhart!" Seifer chuckled with his trademark smirk.

Squall rushed him at full speed Gunblade ready to strike. He jumped into the air and spun his Gunblade around himself in a circle.

"Fated Circle!" He yelled as the ring hit the ground around Seifer, who quickly jumped out of the way of the attack.

Squall landed back on the ground and began running at his rival with all his might. If he was going to end this, he was going to do it quickly. All of the anger he held in over the years began to rush out as he attacked his sworn enemy. The strikes seemed faster than humanly possible as he attacked Seifer, who was having a hard time just keeping up with his opponent. Their blades clanged as they held them together. Seifer looked a bit shocked as he tried his best to keep his footing against the tremendous push from Squall.

"Damn!" He said looking into the enraged eyes of Squall. "I guess you _have_ been training, Leonhart." Seifer tried his best to push the other's Gunblade away, but to no avail. The attacks came with such ferocity that Seifer did all he could to stop them from causing him harm. He did not know how Squall had this sudden burst of power, but it was beginning to scare him. As Squall charged at him, again Seifer brought his Gunblade parallel to the ground, pointing it at him. Squall kept running at him, but Seifer was slowly getting ready to release an attack that might tip the balance back to his favor. He snapped his eyes open and smirked at his charging opponent.

"Bloodfest!" A huge blast of fire streamed towards Squall lifting him up a few feet into the air and holding him there in burning agony. Seifer drew a cross with his Gunblade and plunged the blade into the ground. The fire surrounding Squall exploded causing the walls to crack and crumble near him. He lay on the floor, his clothes smoldering from the blast.

"Got you this time, Leonhart." He chuckled. "Now all I have to do is finish you off."

Seifer raised his Gunblade above his head ready to strike the finishing blow. He chuckled as he thought back.

"Kind of funny, huh?" He said with a smirk. "It's just like that other time I beat you… and gave you that mark." He traced his own scar. "But that's all going to be over very soon."

He began to bring his blade down to kill Squall until something hit his strike out of the way. He looked up to see Rinoa standing with her weapon flying back to her.

"Stop it Seifer!" She yelled. "You don't have to do this anymore! Can't you just take being beaten?"

He smirked as he started walking over to her, Gunblade still in hand. He may have loved her once, but that was long before the "Ice Princess", Squall, had taken her away from him. It did not matter now that she was fighting him; she was just another enemy to be taken care of.

"Hi, Rinoa." He said with a sly smile. "It's been a long time, huh?"

She brought up her arm as he came closer. She would do anything to stop him from doing this, and if killing him was how, then that is what she would do.

"Don't come any closer! I will kill you if I have to Seifer!"

"But why? I mean, would you really hurt the man who loved you?"

She stood her ground as he once again walked closer to her.

"You're crazy Seifer! Stop this please!" He eyes began to fill with tears as she looked at him slowly making his way closer to her. "Please! You shouldn't be doing this!"

Squall rolled over a slight crackling noise coming from his crisply burned coat. That last attack had stunned him, but he had been through more in the past. He gripped his Gunblade and stood with some effort.

"Where's that damn Seifer?' he thought still focusing his eyes. He heard someone crying and turned to see the fuzzy outline of Rinoa and something grey getting close to her. He knew exactly who it was.

"Seifer!" He cried out. "Get away from her. This is _our_ fight!" He still couldn't see clearly, but that didn't matter, as long as Rinoa was safe he could continue to fight.

"Sounds like you're man wants me to leave you alone." Said Seifer with a malicious grin.

Rinoa's arm was beginning to shake; he was almost too close for comfort. She knew she had to do something, but what? Seifer grabbed her arm and slowly moved it to the side pulling her close to him. It had been so long since they had been this close, and she hated every second of it. He leaned down, why hadn't she just shot him when she had the chance?

"Please." She said in a weak voice. "Stop."

Squall's eyes had finally focused, as he looked over at the two so close together now. His rage began to overflow as he saw him slowly kiss her. He knew she did not want to, but it still made him want to kill Seifer even more. He couldn't control how much he wished he was dead, but his body still hadn't recovered from Seifer's attack. Just as he was looking away from Rinoa and Seifer, he saw something dash by and go to them. It happened in an instant, they didn't even know what had happened until it was over. Max had watched the whole scene and was coming to attack as Seifer closed the gap between himself and Rinoa. He did not see that she was right in front of Seifer as he plunged his sword through Seifer's stomach. He kept pushing until the hilt had reached Seifer's back. Seifer was still kissing Rinoa and she too had been in the path of the murderous blade. Max pulled his blade out of Seifer and Rinoa and finally saw that he had hit them both and not just Squall's rival. Squall looked on in horror as they both fell to the ground barely breathing. He saw Rinoa smile at him one last painful time before she closed her eyes and let the hands of death take her.

"N-NOOOO!" Squall screamed seeing her last breath leave her.

He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, all he could do was look on at her lifeless body. His one love in the world was gone, and by the hands of someone he knew. He began to feel his eyes burn and he let the tears come as he laid his head down on the cold floor of Garden. An extreme sleep took over him as he lay there and he welcomed it with open arms.

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Whew! so much has happened already! What'll happen to Max? and what about Rinoa? Well i hope you liked reading it as much as i liked writing it! Reveiw if you did like it. Thanks everyone who did reveiw! _Vincent Sekod_


	7. Chapter 7

Hey everyone... Been a while since i've updated. But here is Chapter 7 of "The Forgotten Son" Thanks for the Reviews everyone! Still, so sorry for the long update... but life happens, ya know? Well enough rambling, here's the story!

Oh... since for some reason people care about the disclaimer...

Disclaimer: Not mine... of course, you should already know that. Except for Max, totally my character.

* * *

It had been almost a week since the battle with the White SeeDs, and Balamb Garden had fought well. With Squall still unconscious and Rinoa dead, the rest of the group, including Max, began to run the Garden in his absence. However, by a majority vote, Quistis filled the position of Commander. Max continued to make his way to the infirmary every now-and-again, just to check up on Squall, much like today.

He walked in to the infirmary and waved at Dr. Kadowaki as he went into Squall's room. Max knew he was at fault for this… if he had only seen Rinoa, he would have stopped.

"Squall," He said grabbing the leather gloved hand. "I'm so sorry! If I would have known she was there..." He trailed off as tears came to his eyes.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Selphie standing there. She smiled at him and patted his shoulder.

"It'll be okay, Max. I'm sure there was nothing you could do."

Max couldn't help himself as he began to cry even harder. Selphie knew he hurt, but even her best smile could not cheer the young man up. She stood a few moments later and patted Maxs' back before leaving him, once again, alone with Squall. He stayed there a little while longer until the PA came on.

"_Max Caron please report to the bridge._" It called. "_Repeat, Max Caron report to the bridge._"

He did not have the energy, but Quistis sounded serious and he didn't need to make her wait any longer than she had to. He made his way to the elevator waving to Zell as he passed, noticing how sad and unenergetic he had become, much like everyone else in Garden. It seemed like the death of Rinoa had affected the whole Garden more than Squall's condition. Either way, Garden could never be the same. Max entered the open elevator and rode to the third floor bridge, with an impatient Quistis standing at the door. She tapped her foot as he walked over to her with the best smile he could muster.

"You needed me, Commander Quistis?"

She turned to him and frowned.

"Yes." She said with a harsh tone. "I called you here five minutes ago."

"I'm sorry, commander." He shuffled closer to her. "Why did you want me?"

She sighed a little and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I know I've been a little hard on you and the others. You have been trying your best even after Squall went unconscious and you have been by his side since then. I want to give you and the others some off time. We _all_ need it, but you need more. How about a week off?"

She moved her hand from his shoulder and smiled. Her smile had a healing affect on him and Max quickly followed with a genuine smile.

"That sounds great!" He replied.

"Good," she said still smiling. "Now I will go and check up on Squall and give you updates on his condition while you're out on break. Here." She handed him a small flip phone. "You can call me anytime at the number on the phone and have fun, okay?"

Her voice seemed sincere and Max took careful note of her sympathetic tone. He _did_ need a break after the hectic week that had just passed, but most of all he needed to get away from Garden. A nice trip somewhere would be a good way to clear his mind of the pain and sorrow of that one day.

He saluted to Quistis and turned to walk out of the room until she placed a hand on his shoulder. She smiled at him and patted his shoulder a few times. He returned the gesture and soon walked out of the bridge feeling a bit better. On his way toward the parking lot, he found Irvine talking with Selphie and waved as he walked over to them, a smile on his face.

"I see you're feeling better, Max!" Beamed Selphie as she ran over to the young man. "You gonna be okay?"

Max nodded and walked with her back to Irvine. He tipped his hat at Max.

"How ya doin' little guy?" He asked as they approached.

"I'm good now." He said with another bright smile, it was lie, but still it worked.

Despite his efforts to seem okay, he knew that, inside, he was still grieving over not only Rinoa's death, but also the fact that _he_ had killed her. It didn't help that they had never laid her body to rest. Squall had written down a type of will that if she died, they would keep her body in the Sorceress Memorial. That's exactly what they did, and they couldn't do much else until Squall regained consciousness.

"Hey I hear you're going on vacation for a while." Said Irvine tipping up his hat.

"Yeah, I need it." Max replied in a somewhat cheerful voice. "I was just about to leave but I had to say good bye to you guys."

"Well you'd better make sure to tell everybody!" Smile Selphie.

"Of course." He put up his fake smile once again. "I'll see you later then. I should really be heading out."

Irvine nodded and Selphie grabbed me for death-like hug.

"Can't… Breathe."

She released me from her grip and smiled a bit embarrassed. He waved to them as he made his way to the front of Garden, which now sat next to Fisherman's Horizon undergoing repairs. After saying a few quick goodbyes to a few of the students he knew, Max walked to the train tracks that connected Fisherman's Horizon to the rest of the world heading west. He didn't really know why or where he was going, but it did not matter to him as he strolled across the almost endless miles of track towards the unknown. Maybe, he thought, he could find some peace of mind by just getting away from the stress and pain he had recently associated with Balamb Garden. Maybe not. Either way, he continued down the track, unable to truly understand the confusion in his head.

"I'm so sorry Squall," He said stopping and looking to the horizon. "I wish I could even understand myself."

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Hope you liked this newest edition to the story. Chapter 8 should be up soon... well i hope! Review if you liked it! _Vincent Sekod_


	8. Chapter 8

The journey over the tracks had actually taken less time than Max expected. Only four hours, that had to be a record. He still hadn't figured out the answers to the 50 million questions whirling around in his head as he continued his trek across the Great Salt Lake toward a place he did not even know. He had heard of a great advanced city just beyond the lake, but had only dreamed of going there. That would bethe place where he would find Rinoa and, hopefully, a few answers.

"I should almost be there." He sighed after a while of walking through the Great Salt Lake. "I think Squall said it was right h-"

He hit something very solid and stepped back while rubbing his nose. He looked forward at what seemed to just be the lake continuing on and on in the distance. He held out his hand and felt that there was some kind of barrier in the way.

"What's going on here?" He asked himself moving along the wall trying to find some hole he could go through. He had no idea there would be something like this to hinder his passage, so he continued to slide along the barrier. He ran his hand over what seemed to be a ladder step and grabbed hold. He felt around the step and grabbed a few more of them, climbing up the ladder.

'Now _this_ is weird.' He thought, still climbing the ladder. 'First this damn wall… now a ladder in the middle of nowhere.'

He climbed up the unknown ladder and felt around the last step. He pushed another hidden device and a sliding metal door opened before him.

'Oh wow.'

With a cautious look around the opening, he crawled into the hole. The door slammed shut behind him as he squeezed through the somewhat tight opening and he turned in fright, hoping it would open again. It did not. So he continued on making it out of the opening and into a large opening. The floor clanged as he hopped out of the tight squeeze and into the semi-light of the open space.

"What's all this?" He asked squinting into the darkness.

He moved forward and his hand brushed against something glass-like. He stopped for a moment and ran his hand over it.

"Some kind of… panel?"

Max fiddled with the controls on the transparent panel hoping to find some kind of answer to the reason it was there. As he touched a button on the panel, the lights flickered on. He stood there shocked at the immensity of the space around him.

"How could they hide something like this?"

As he proceeded to look back down at the panel he felt a slight shudder, and the floor beneath him began to move away from its previous position, with him aboard. The moving platform sped through the hidden innards of the barrier making its way to some destination unknown to Max. He could only hope he was safe. It only took a few minutes before the platform slowed and turned towards the other wall of the barrier. As far as he could see, Max saw nothing but a wall until the platform slowed once again and a hidden door opened. The view astounded him as he stood there with the skyline of a gigantic city before him. The different shades of blues and greens intermingling to create a sea of glimmering skyscrapers made him unable to close his mouth as he stared in fascination.

"Is this… Esthar?" He stood there on the moving platform astounded by the view.

"Why yes, it is." Said a voice over the loud speaker. "And welcome to the lovely City of Esthar, sir."

Max spun around as he pulled out his sword, ready to attack the ghost voice.

"Calm down, sir. There is no need to be alarmed. I am the welcoming guide to new comers to Esthar. Please make your self at home in our lovely city, and enjoy your stay."

"Uh… thanks?" Max sheathes his sword on his back and continues looking out on the beautiful city. The ride was a smooth one as the platform made its way to the center of the city, stopping short of the Presidential Residence. Max hopped off and proceeded to enter the massive building. As he approached the Presidents office, the two guards stopped him in his tracks.

"Do you have permission to enter?" Asked one of them.

Max nodded and pulled out a letter; he had stolen it from one of the Garden Faculty earlier, and handed it to the guard. He read it over and handed it back with a snort.

"Fine, President Laguna will see you now."

The guards stepped aside and he walked into the office. As he did, the man at the other end of the room looked up from the files strewn haphazardly across the desk. It was amazing the resemblance between him and Squall, Max stood there a bit astounded, but remained calm.

"Well hello." Said Laguna standing. "What brings you here?"

"I have news from Garden." He said walking to the desk. "It is about Squall Leonheart and… Sorceress Rinoa Heartily. There has been a…" he searched for the right word to use. "There's been an incident at Garden involving both of them."

Laguna sat back in his chair. His face gave away his concern at whatever the news could be. He knew Squall and Rinoa would have come here themselves if there was a problem, but if they didn't then…

"I'm sorry… But Rinoa is dead and Squall is unconscious. They said she had been taken to the Sorceress Memorial."

"W-what? Rinoa's dead?" He shot up in his seat and grabbed Max's collar across the table. "What do you mean she's dead?"

"Th-there was an attack on G-garden! We tried to stop them, but in the process…" he wrenched free of Laguna's grip. "Rinoa died. I… I am the one who killed her while trying to kill Seifer Almasy."

He had not heard the second half of the last sentence and his anger rose to a new high. Laguna grabbed Max by the collar again and picked him off the floor.

"You killed her? You bastard how could you?" He threw him down and then turned away. "Leave my office now! And don't you dare come back!"

"But sir!" He cried pulling himself up from the floor. "Please let me explain!"

Max never saw it coming as Laguna slapped him hard across the face before he could react. He fell to the ground, his mouth now bleeding.

"I don't know why you came here to tell me this, but I want you to leave my office NOW!"

"At least let me say one thing before I go." He began to stand again. "First of all, I did not kill her on purpose. Second, I was trying to kill Seifer Almasy and she was, unfortunately, in the way of my attack. If I had known she was there, I would have stopped."

Laguna's eyes filled with tears as he turned toward Max once again. He had a strange smile on his face and shook his head.

"I'm sorry; it's just that Rinoa is like a daughter to me. Nobody told me she was dead… but I did hear about a delivery of some kind to the Sorceress Memorial. Its northeast of Esthar City, if you want to Rinoa, she has to be there. Good luck and here..." He pulled out a small silver key from his desk drawer and handed it to Max. "This will get you into the main chamber. She should be there like she was last time."

"Thank you." Replied Max taking the key. "I hope this will help to answer some things… for both of us. Good bye, sir, and thank you."

He turns to leave.

"Wait! I didn't even get your name."

Max smiled and faced Laguna.

"Max Caron."

"Well Max, good luck."

With a simple nod, he turned and walked from the room. If this trip to Rinoa didn't help him, then he had no idea what to do.

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Told you chapter 8 would be up soon. Hope you liked it! _Vincent Sekod_


	9. Chapter 9

Back at Garden Squall's condition had not improved and Quistis still had to take the duties of "commander" of Garden. The job was harder than she thought. After hearing that Max had not arrived to his designated Vacation spot had not helped her stress levels. She tapped her fingers restlessly on the table as she read the days files. The repairs were going smoothly enough and most of the injured students had all been given a bill of good health. That didn't help her however, Squall was still out of it and she had to keep in charge until he recovered… if he ever did. As she felt herself begin to nod off to sleep, a light knock came from her door and she snapped back up.

"Who is it?" She asked a bit groggy.

"There's a message for you, Commander." Replied a timid voice on the other side of the door.

"Alright… come in already."

With all of the work she had lately, her patience was beginning to wear thin. A small, no more than 13 year-old boy, walked into her office with an envelope in his hand. He walked quickly over to her, handed her the letter, and ran out of the room. In her semi-awake stupor, Quistis fumbled around trying to open the envelope, but succeeded, pulling out a short letter addressed to her.

"_Dear Quistis,_" Began the letter. "_I thought I'd tell you I met your student Max Caron today. He seemed concerned about Squall and Rinoa. I just heard the bad news about what happened, and I'm praying for Squall to be okay. I had a feeling you didn't know where he was going so I figured I'd give you the heads up. Good luck, and tell Squall hi for me when he wakes up. _

_Sincerely,_

_Laguna Lorie._"

She sighed as she finished.

'He's okay,' she thought. 'And at least now I know where he is… but what's he doing in Esthar?' She placed the letter on the desk and read it over again a few more times. Something was off about this, what would Max be doing so far away? Wasn't that where Rinoa was? She didn't really like the whole situation, but she knew he could take care of himself and the recent workload was killing her. She began to think that maybe _she_ needed a vacation. She looked at the letter once more, folded it up, and put it back into its envelope.

'Whatever happens,' she thought. 'I just hope he's okay.'

In a strange way, Max kind of reminded her of Squall in certain ways. She chuckled as she remembered back to his younger days in Garden.

"Poor Squall had such a hard time making friends back then." She giggled again.

Another knock came from her door and she pulled her mind from the flashback.

"Come in."

The same small boy walked in and walked over to her desk.

"Th-there's news fr-from Dr. Kadowaki." He continued to shake as he stood there, Quistis's eyes watching him.

"Thank you, dismissed."

He raced back out of the room and Quistis made her way to the door.

'I wonder if Squall has woken up yet?' She walked out the room.

Proceeding directly to the Infirmary Doctor Kadowaki greeted her with a simple smile as she approached. Quistis felt a bit uneasy about that smile, but brushed it off as nothing.

"What is it you wanted to see me about?" She asked.

The doctor's smile faded at the question.

"Well, I have good news and bad news."

She defiantly did _not_ like the sound of that.

"What's the bad news?" Straightforward as always.

"The bad news is," she took a few seconds to finish. "Rinoa may not be able to be revived and all of the research I've done doesn't help."

"The good news?"

Her smile returned.

"Squall is awake and he wants to talk to you. He's still a little woozy from the medication, so if he says something odd, that's why."

The doctor ushered Quistis into the room and pointed to the far room. The very room she had found in Squall after his battle with Seifer years ago. It was a bit ironic really. Yet again, a soft groan from Squall's room brought her out of her reverie and she continued to the room.

"Squall?" she said softly. ""Are you okay?"

He looked up at her, but his mind seemed elsewhere, after such an experience as his how could he even focus. Nevertheless, she walked into the room and sat next to him on the bed. His once steel-blue eyes looked empty, as if he had given up on living. Where was that fire from before? The strength all had looked for in times of need. She tired not to think of that as she sat there with him.

"Squall?"

His only response was a nod.

"How are you feeling? Head hurting or anything?"

He shook his head.

"Okay. I've taken command until you're cleared by the doctor so just rest until then."

Another nod.

"It's good to see you're doing okay, Squall." She began to walk out of the room when she heard his voice behind her.

"Rinoa…" He whispered. "What, what happened to… Rinoa?"

Quistis did not even turn around.

"She's dead, Squall. She…" She stifled a sob. "She died protecting Garden from Seifer. M-Max accidentally killed her while going for Seifer."

"I, where is Max? I need to talk to him. Tell… him… I'm sorry." Squall fell back onto the pillow of his bed and soon was back to sleep. Quistis couldn't stand being in the room right now and soon went back to her office. There she sat for hours on end contemplating…

'Squall, I'm so sorry… we tried so hard to save Rinoa. I just hope maybe Max can do something, _anything_, to bring her back.'

She stared out into the evening sun and sighed. She didn't like the situation, but all she could truly do was wait and hope for the best.

"Good luck, Max, and I hope you find whatever you're looking for."

With that, she too slowly drifted off to sleep.

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Yet again sorry for the long updates. I Hope you all have enjoyed the story so far. Thank you everyone for the riviews! I really appreciate it! I hope you liked reading this story as much as i enjoyed writing it! Till next time. _Vincent Sekod_


	10. Chapter 10

The journey to the Sorceress Memorial took far less time than Max thought it would. He had yet to hear any news of Squall's condition, but he really didn't want to focus on that right now. He needed answers and there was only one place he could think to find them. As he stopped in front of the memorial, a strange sense of déjà vu came over him, but he knew he had never been here before. He walked up the steps that led to the main chamber, only to be stopped by the two guards at the door.

"Please present identification." Said one of the guards.

Max held up the silver key Laguna gave him and the guards moved quickly out of his way. He made his way to the main chamber passing more guards as he went, each time holding up the silver key to gain further access. He stopped at the last door leading to Rinoa's body and inserted the key. He had the same feeling of déjà vu as he turned it slowly. The mechanism began to turn and jolt here and there and the double doors opened with a hiss of steam.

'Maybe this will help.' He thought as he stepped into the freezing cold room. 'Brr, I wish they would have told me it was like this in here.'

The round chamber that held Rinoa's, now lifeless, body still bore the mark from Squalls previous rescue and Max ran his hand along it. It made his hand tingle as he touched it softly. He couldn't explain it, but somehow he could feel some kind of life from Rinoa. More of a mental power, comforting, caring. He lifted his hand from the chamber and walked a few steps back to observe it, and her, a little more.

All the questions he had asked himself before coming here raced back to his mind. They flooded his every thought as he stood there contemplating what coming here could possible do to help. Then in a fraction of a second, a new thought, one he didn't even think about, hit him. Then another and another. Flashes of images cascaded in his mind. Rinoa dying, Squall reaching for her, a sorceress reaching out to him… Ultimecia? But Squall and the others killed her.

'Max…' A woman's voice trailed off in his mind. 'Come join me… we can destroy the SeeD…'

He grabbed his head and kneeled on the floor shaking it. The voice seemed so familiar, but he could barely recognize it.

"Mo-ther?" He said still holding his head.

'Yes. You remember… Now come with me Max… my forgotten son… Destroy the SeeD and help me to return.'

"N-no… I c-can't" The flashes of death and destruction of his friends came at him from all sides of his mind. Squall dying from his sword, Zell's body blowing to pieces… He couldn't stand it any longer!

"Stop it!"

More images raced through his mind. He fell to the ground one hand holding him up while the other held his throbbing head. How could Ultimecia go into his mind like this? How? If Squall had killed her, then how could she… The sharp, shooting pain in his head increased its intensity until he was completely on the floor writhing in agony. The memories from so long ago rushed back to him in an instant.

"Stop it please!" He screamed. "I can't take this pain any more!"

'I can make the pain go away… just help me my son.'

He wouldn't, he couldn't let her control him, but his mind could only take so much. Max's entire body shook as he let out one last scream as he forced his mind to fight against the invader that had entered.

'No… my son… don't do this!' The voice cried out. 'Please! H-help me!'

The pain subsided, as did her voice in Max's head. Once it had completely dissipated, he stood and leaned on the chamber holding Rinoa, his breaths short and stinted. Nothing like this had ever happened in his life, and the battle tired him out a good deal. Enough to make him lose consciousness and fall to the floor in the chamber room.

Max awoke to find himself still in the chamber room and freezing cold. He had no idea how long he had been there, but it must have been a while since his body felt like a literal block of ice. Shaking off the ice crystals that had formed on him he stood once again for a final look at Rinoa in the chamber.

"I had hoped you could help me, but I guess not." He paused. "I'm so sorry for killing you Rinoa, I wish I could stop myself from doing it. I've hurt Squall even more… he needs you to come back to him again. If you can… please tell him, you'll be okay. And… that no matter what, I will try to revive you."

Deep in his heart, Max could tell she had heard him. It put his mind a bit more at ease knowing that, and after that last incident, he needed some reassurance. After warming himself up a bit, Max made his way out of the Sorceress Memorial. The sun overhead was a nice change compared to the cold and dark rooms inside and he welcomed its rays with open arms. His brief moment stopped as he felt the phone in his pocket begin to vibrate. He forgot he had it with him. As he looked down at the screen, he sighed a bit. It was Quistis, and hopefully with news. He brought it up to his ear and answered.

"This is Max Caron."

"We need to get you back here right away, Max. Replied Quistis's hurried voice. "Squall is awake. However, something is wrong in Garden. We need you back here A.S.A.P!"

"Right! Just hold on Quistis, I'll be there soon."

"And Max, be careful. It seems like a sorceress has something to do with this. Judging by the energy I feel… it's Ultimecia."

He stopped breathing, and stood there in complete silence as the words hit him.

"What?" He strained.

"I'll explain more to you when you return, but please come back quickly!"

"Yes! I'm on my way already!"

He clicked off the phone. He breathed heavily, as he took in the words Quistis said. How could Ultemicia be alive? He raced back as fast as he could to Esthar.

'I hope everything is okay.' He thought. 'Please let everything be okay!'

* * *

I'm not too sure if this is one of my better chapters or not, but i still hope you liked it! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, it keeps me going to know people like this story. I hope you liked reading it as much as i did writing it! _Vincent Sekod_


	11. Chapter 11

Once again thanks for the Reviews, and Fred, not to be mean, but i is kinda my story. And i hope to clear up a few things as the chapter play out so it will all be explained in time. ;) Not sure how well i did on this chapter... took me all of these months to finally finish it for you waiting readers out there. sorry for the long update.

Well on with the story

* * *

Back at Garden things could not have been worse. With Squall still out of commission, Quistis and the rest of the SeeDs struggled to find the cause of the growing number of problems within Garden. Somehow, the monsters in the Training Area had escaped and attacked anyone in their site. Not only that but, Garden, after finishing its repairs and heading out, had stopped moving altogether. No matter what the pilots tried, they could not get it to move from the spot that it seemed anchored to and after an extensive check of the systems, they found nothing wrong. Already Quistis felt like pulling her hair out, but this had to be the last straw. With the news of continuous failures of the primary and secondary systems of Garden flying at her every second, she really… REALLY wanted to shoot herself.

"Can someone please find out what's going on?" She yelled into the PA microphone. And Squall I want you to come up here this instant!"

Quistis slammed the microphone down onto the desk and slumped into the desk chair.

"Why do I have to be put through this?"

Seconds later Quistis lifted her head to three knocks on the door.

'Wow,' She thought. 'That was fast.'

As she rose from her desk to answer the door, it flew open hitting the wall and falling off it hinges. Who else stood there besides an infuriated Squall Leonheart. He seemed different… could it be?

"What the hell happened to Rinoa?" He screamed punching the door. Where is she?"

He _had_ regained his former spark they all knew and looked up to.

"Sq-Squall… I told you earlier she…. She died." Quistis fell back into her chair. "Max was the one responsible, but it wasn't really his fault. He should be on his way back now."

Squall cursed under his breath at his one moment of weakness and sank to the floor. Why couldn't he save her? What exactly had happened? He needed answers, but could not find them. Quistis came from her desk and wrapped her arms gently around his shoulders… it had been a hard time for both of them.

"It's okay Squall." She whispered. "It'll be okay. Why did you just burst in here like that?"

"I… I don't know. It all just hit me as I was walking here. How long have I been out of it?"

"Not too long… you were asleep for most of the time. Come on and sit, there is a lot I need to talk to you about."

She proceeded to explain the current, disastrous, situation they had found themselves in, what happened after Squall fell into the coma, and about Max. It all seemed like too much to Squall, it took a few minutes after Quistis stopped talking for it to sink in.

"He's coming back right?" Asked Squall.

"Yes, Laguna met him in Esthar. I also made sure to tell him to come back. I thought Max had gone back to Galbadia, I guess not."

Squall stood and began to pace around the room… he wondered why Max had gone there. If they were keeping Rinoa at the Sorceress Memorial again, then did they plan to resurrect her too? And if he was there, then why? He stopped near the window and sighed. There were so many things they didn't know about Max, practically nothing about his past. It was all too much to take at once.

Squall sighed once more and leaned his head on his arms against the window. The only thought was of Rinoa's death, feeling his heart shatter… seeing her last smile. His eyes burned as he held back the tears. It was all too painful. What had happened to that strong resolve he had before, the strength he knew to stop from showing emotion? The light he had once had, died.

"Damn it!" He pounded the window. "What's wrong with me? I was supposed to protect her."

"Squall." Said Quistis rising. "No one blames you. It was Seifer's fault."

That was something he couldn't understand. Seifer had been just fine before he attacked Garden, well the same old Seifer, but still himself. Then again, he _had_ changed after he came back from visiting the orphanage… What happened to him there? Had Ultemicia somehow come back? Squall couldn't make any sense of it.

"Quistis," He said sitting in the desk chair. "Did Seifer seem a bit different while we were fighting him?"

"I don't know. I was too worried about the other side of Garden."

Something was off. First Seifer acting strangely after coming back, and then Squall finding Max at the orphanage. That had to be where it all started, but what had happened?

"I need to take the Ragnarok to the orphanage. Something tells me that place can answer some of these questions." He rose from the seat and headed for the door, but Quistis stopped his path.

"Wait Squall, if you're going to go then at least wait for Max to come back. He might have some information that may help us."

"I can't wait for him. There are questions that I need answered _now_."

"It won't kill you to wait for him."

He groans as he returns to his seat. He hated waiting, especially when there was a pressing matter at hand.

"This had better be worth it." Squall snorted as he fidgeted with the small globe on the desk.

They sat in silence awaiting Max… and four hours later their hopes were answered as he ran into the room breathless.

"I… came as fast… as I could!" Max struggled to get the words out. The mix of fear and constant running had caught up with him.

Quistis brought him to the chair in front of Squalls desk. He had nothing left in him.

"Calm down and relax, Max." Began Squall. "We need to know what you found out in Esthar. We know you talked to Laguna while you were there and that you went to the Sorceress Memorial."

Max wheezed a few times before uttering a single phrase.

"Ultemicia… power… the forgotten son."

His head fell to the desk as he fainted.

"The Forgotten Son?" said Squall rising. "What the hell is going on?"


	12. Chapter 12

I have noticedsome things about this fanfic... well more about myself. I have been gotten in the habit of putting up 2 chapter RIGHT after each other and having a long period of nothing. and for those of you who do wait on my new chapter, i am sorry that i wait so long in between. however, i really do appreciate the reveiwsand comments on the story. (and fred i wasnt trying to be mean, i appreciate the criticizm.) this is actually one of the chapters where i had to STOP myself from writing too much. so be prepared for an up-coming chapter. While im not too sure how long i'll make this story, i just hope everyone likes it as much as i did writing it.

On with the story!

* * *

It took a few moments for Max to come around again. As he lifted his head he could tell Squall and Quistis were a bit worried.

"Are you okay?" asked Quistis. "You just fainted for no reason."

Max chuckled a little.

"Sorry, I guess I shouldn't have run all the way back here… Esthar is farther away than I though."

"But." Began Squall. "Did you run across the water too?"

He chuckled again and scratched the back of his head.

"Pretty much, but hey, what's going on?"

Quistis made sure to fill him in on the Garden malfunctions and Training Area Monsters now roaming various sections of the facility. Squall interrupted her long-winded explanation.

"Basically, the entire Garden is in chaos and disarray for different reasons. The bad thing we can't find the problems."

Max had pretty much gotten that listening to Quistis.

"What we need to know," Continued Squall. "Is what you found out in Esthar and what's this stuff about 'The Forgotten Son' and what it has to do with Ultemicia?"

Max sighed, he did not really want to reveal all the information to them. There were things even _he_ didn't understand. Why, if even after Squall killed her, had Ultemicia come back to contact him? Either way it did not matter what he thought, the truth had to come out at some point… and now would be the best time for that.

"I… am or _was_ Ultemicia's 'knight'," Began Max.

The atmosphere of the room immediately grew heavy and silent as he continued.

"I served with her until she began her crazy crusade on the SeeD's. But…" Max paused thinking of how to say what came next. "Not only was I her 'knight', I am also her child."

Time had stopped in the room… or it seemed to have to the three of them. Max saw Squall's face contort into a look of utter disbelief as soon as the last words poured from his mouth. He sat there, cringing at their reactions; he had hoped it would go over better than this deafening silence.

"H-her child?" Asked Quistis. She seemed about to collapse. "But…"

"I don't understand it myself." Began Max. "But I am the Forgotten Son of Sorceress Ultemicia through some odd magical birth. I have inherited her powers, even though I know that Edea, as she was then known. Matron received them."

Squall continued to try to get a grasp on the situation. If he was the son of Ultemicia, then isn't he the enemy of SeeD? If that were true, then why hadn't they killed him already? It is the SeeD's job to fight against the Sorceress… but what about her child?

"Wait." Said Squall breaking from his thoughts. "If that's true then why are you fighting _with_ us?"

"Because I can't stand my mother, almost in the same sense as you SeeD's. I feel that had I have done something earlier, the entire fight between you and her would have never happened. I despise all she stood for, and being the child of that tyrannical monster is a horrible life."

"What about all the crap that's been happening lately? With Seifer and… Rinoa." Squall tried his best to keep his stone cold expression.

"She has returned. Ultemicia is back and hell-bent on destroying all the SeeDs. This time she used Seifer as a puppet and had him gain information on us, I tried to stop her at the orphanage, but you saw my condition when you found me there."

But we killed her! Squalls mind raced over all the possible ways Ultemicia could return. Ellone could bring someone back to the past and Ultemicia had tried to use her, but… Had they not been safe enough protecting her this time around? But she was staying with Laguna, so there would be no way to get to her. Too much to handle.

"Do you know where she might be?" Asked Quistis after a long silence.

"I'm not too sure, when I went to the orphanage she said 'I will await you where the tears of the monster fall and the cry is heard throughout the world.' I don't know where that is."

"Tears Point." Said Squall as cold as ever. "It's the only place that she could be talking about. Why would she tell you that anyway?"

"She wants me to join her again…"

"We won't let that happen, and we wont let her come back to try to destroy again." Quistis grabbed the PA microphone. "All Senior-Squad SeeD Members please come to the bridge. I repeat all Senior-Squad SeeD Members please come to the bridge."

She needed to tell everyone this information, Zell, Selphie, and Irvine. They all had fought Ultemicia once before and defeated her, but apparently their strategy had not be completely successful. A second try would be the only way to truly beat her, but what about Rinoa? Without her there, _could_ they beat her again?

"We need to get everyone up to speed on this, Squall." Began Quistis. "And after that we need to decide what to do, if we can figure it out."

They waited in silence once more until the first of the group arrived, hotdogs and all.

"Zell, what are you doing?" Giggled Quistis.

"Well," Zell said swallowing the last hotdog. "I sorta got hungry."

They couldn't help but chuckle. Soon Irvine and Selphie walked through the door.

"What's up Quisty?" Smiled Selphie. "Is something wrong?"

She simply nodded and beckoned them to sit. Once again, she retold all of the information to the rest of their group. The same reaction followed soon thereafter. Everyone sat there stunned at the news of Max's past. _Him_, Ultemicia's son? The news of her return was the most terrifying… it even took away Selphie's ever-present smile.

"How in the hell is she still alive?" Cried Irvine as he slammed his fist on the desk. "We killed her years ago."

"Yes but was still born before then." Stated Quistis. "Even if we killed her in our time she would still be around in the past."

"But if that's true, then wouldn't there be another Max Caron too?"

"Not if I already killed him." Said Max even colder than Squall. "He died trying to protect her from me the last time we fought. Moreover, I have to warn you all, you will be fighting her at the peak of her powers. The time compression had weakened her, but now she doesn't have to rely on that."

Squall could not stay quiet any longer.

"Then how in the hell did she get back here? Ellone is too protected to be used by her."

"But Rinoa is not." His eyes seemed to change, a cold glow blue formed in them as he spoke. "She is now the perfect vessel by which Ultemicia gained entrance to this world. However, since Ultemicia is here already, she's no longer needed."

"What about when she fought you?" Said Quistis. It didn't really make much sense if she fought him a while before Rinoa died.

"There are other sorceresses who have died. This unfortunate soul just happened to be looking around the orphanage and was killed by a passing monster. The only reason I had gone there was to find some other clues to Ultemicia's death."

Seemed like a good enough explanation, but still, there were things they still needed to know.

"You never told us about your trip to Esthar."

Max sighed once and sat up in the chair.

"I went to Esthar to see if my idea about Rinoa being a vessel were true, come to find out that they were. I thought if I could somehow seal her body enough I could stop Ultemicia from coming to this time, but I couldn't. My second plan was, well _is_ to resurrect Rinoa and have her use her powers to deal a final lethal blow to Ultemicia. In order to do that, I need to go back to Esthar while there's still time. And I need all of you to help me defeat Ultemicia one more time."

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_Vincent Sekod_


	13. Chapter 13

Woohoo new chapter! And i didnt wait too long to finish this one either... no long like 5 month wait for you all to suffer over. Well here's chapter dun dun duuuun! 13 Mwahahahaaaa lol. Well enjoy!

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The words had no sooner left Max's mouth than the entire group was on their way to the Sorceress Memorial on the Ragnarok. Selphie sat in the pilot's seat with Irvine next to her. She was not smiling at all. Squall continued to pace around in the conference room as Max looked on, hoping to help him find the answer he was looking for. Zell, as usual, practiced his air punches in the main cargo hold while Quistis mulled over the reports they had just gotten in from Laguna. It seemed like bad things were happening in Esthar.

"Squall." Said Max. "I don't know how well this will work. There's a high chance Rinoa may never come back"

Squall stopped pacing and turned toward the large window.

"I figured that." He said not looking back at Max. "But it's pretty much the only chance I have right now, isn't it?"

It was true, either way it was a high-risk game that they had to hope would work out. Trying to defeat Ultemicia without Rinoa would almost be suicide, but if they couldn't revive her, what else _could_ they do? Something bothered Max, however, if Ultemicia truly wanted to, she could have used Rinoa's body to draw at least twice the amount of power she had now. Unless…

"Squall! We _have_ to resurrect Rinoa to beat Ultemicia. If we don't, then there is no chance for us to succeed."

Why hadn't he thought of it before? Max mentally slapped himself for missing such a possibility. He had to tell everyone about this before arriving in Esthar.

"Hey Squall, tell everyone to meet on the bridge for an emergency meeting."

Max rose and began to walk from the room.

"What's going on?" Asked Squall.

"Don't worry about it until everyone is on the bridge." He continued to walk out the door and down the hall.

It was only five minutes later that he and everyone were on the bridge awaiting his news eagerly, but with worry. The room immediately grew silent as Max sighed.

"I unfortunately have some bad news." He paused for a second, gathering his thoughts. "Ultemicia has drained Rinoa of her sorceress powers and is now probably two, if not three, times stronger than when you fought her."

Once again… complete silence.

"She is probably gathering strength right now in order to further her plans. That includes another Lunar Cry, so we might not have as much time as I thought in reviving Rinoa… if we even can. I will need all of your strength to accomplish that."

"What does that entail exactly?" Spoke Quistis.

He had hoped she would not ask until they got there, but if he had to tell them, now would be the best time. It was a long and complicated ritual to describe and the specifics were something Max himself didn't want to think about just yet. However, he had to tell them the basics at least.

"It involves… removing part of your soul. More like your memories, and inserting them into Rinoa's heart. It requires a lot of magic and will power to perform, both of which I may need help with during the process."

Max took out a small blue crystal and placed it on the floor of the bridge. Placing his hand over it as he stood it began to spin and glow.

"Orior oriri ortus ops recro unus quisnam est absentis!"

The crystal began to spin faster and faster for the next few second until it stopped suddenly and released a small orb into the center of the room. Everyone looked on as it leisurely rose up and out of the ship. It then flew in the direction of Esthar with much more speed than the Ragnarok could ever manage.

"That," Sighed Max. "was the spell to begin the resurrection process. It won't be ready until we get there."

This ritual would require so much from the people Max had only recently met and befriended. How could they risk their lives like this? They did not even know him or much of his past, so how could they trust him this much? It hurt Max's mind as he mulled over it again and again. This whole situation made no sense to him. Maybe, he thought, he was not trusting enough or they were far too trusting of others. Either way, they had accepted him and he had to live with that fact no matter how unfortunate it was. Things needed to be done before the ritual and Max knew they had little time to do them.

"Max." Came Squall's voice as he broke from his thoughts. "I want to be there with you when you start the ritual. I can't stand being in the background while all this is going on."

"Sure Squall, I think Rinoa would be much happier to see you when she wakes up than me. I want you to be absolutely certain that, all of you, want to do this. It could be dangerous for everyone and I'll be the first to tell you, you all could die from it."

They nodded in agreement. Rinoa was "one of them" and everyone refused to let her life end like this, forever encased in a mechanical shell for the world to see. It pained Max to see such devotion for a friend; he had never known anyone like these people… so caring for one of their friends. A life wrought with pain, despair and loneliness was all Max ever knew. Maybe with these new friends, his life could turn out better. Maybe just once, he could find some kind of happiness. Working for Ultemicia wasn't a joyous thing, after all, hearing about the destruction of the world over and over gets a little annoying.

"-ax, Max!" Shouted Zell. "Hey buddy wake up! We're almost to Esthar."

Max shook his head, which did nothing but disorient him more, and stood looking out at, what he hopped, was Esthar. This would be a hard and excruciating experience for himself and his new friends. Hopefully, they would be able to revive Rinoa and stop Ultemicia's insane plan. Max stared off into the distance and sighed once again.

'I'm coming mother.' He thought. 'Things have turned out oddly for both of us haven't they?'

* * *

Interesting turn of evens huh? I think i might just end this story around... say maybe 20 chapters. who knows. After this story i dont know if i can com up with any new ideas! lol! Well i hope you enjoyed reading this as much as i did writing it! _Vincent Sekod_


	14. Chapter 14

My my... 4 chapter so quickly? Amazing isnt it? I am really getting into my own story lol! but i hope you enjoy this chapter! Oh and just to tell you... What Max chants, happens to be Latin (which is a staple in the Final Fantasy Series.)

* * *

Esthar had not changed since Squall and the others had visited except, there seemed to be much more turmoil than last time. The scene below them reflected a harsh and cold reality as Esthar soldiers continued to fight back gigantic waves of monsters. Things were defiantly going wrong, and quickly. As they approached the Sorceress Memorial, Squall noticed the same blue light from the crystal hovering over it almost as if beckoning them to move forward. Selphie began to bring the Ragnarok down as everyone prepared for yet another fight. Max, on the other hand, stayed in his seat, eyes closed, and in a state of focus. Controlling his powers took precedence in this situation and as such, he had asked everyone to fight off the guards instead of making him fight. Complete focus would be mean difference between Rinoa coming back or, her soul forever being lost to them. He wondered if that would truly be enough, however.

"Max" said Squall as he picked up his Lionheart Gunblade. "Me, Zell, and Quistis will handle the inside guards while Selphie and Irvine take out the front ones. You just need to follow in after they are all defeated."

He nodded and returned to his meditative state.

"Alright everyone." Squall continued. "Let's go."

Immediately, Cyborg Esthar Soldiers attacked them outside the entrance to the ship as they attempted to leave. Squall fired an Ultima spell to quickly dispose of them and they continued forward battling wave after wave of Esthar Soldiers. As they made their way up the stairs of the Memorial, with Selphie and Irvine leading the frontal assault, the group encountered a barrier that had not been there before. Try as they might, they could not break it.

"This has to be Ultemicia's doing." Said Squall beating at the barrier with his Gunblade. "But how did she know we were going to come here?"

"Because of me."

Squall turned to see Max somehow floating towards them.

"What?"

Max drifted over to them and touched down with a sigh.

"She knows my power, and what we came here to do. There may not be much I can do, but I will try to break this."

Max lifted his hand towards the barrier and began chanting.

"Solvo is obex."

As he repeated his mantra-like chant, a faint rippled formed, diffusing the light around the center of the barrier near his hand. As he continued, the ripples grew larger and larger until they came in waves across the surface and with one last chant, the barrier shook and then melted away.

"Our path his clear now," Said Max breathing somewhat heavy. "I'll have to save the rest of my magic for the resurrection, so please hurry."

They battled their way into the innermost chamber of the Memorial only to find Rinoa's body guarded by another old nemesis. As Squall entered the chamber, he stopped dead in his tracks and raised his Gunblade.

"What the hell!" He said. "You died!"

A low and somewhat eerie laugh came from the figure as it turned to face them.

"Hello Squall, surprised to see me?" He grunted.

Squall knew what he saw before his eyes couldn't be true, it just _couldn't_!

"Seifer? How the hell did you come back?" Screamed Max taken aback. "I stabbed you through the heart!"

Seifer laughed again.

"Ultemicia has her ways, _you_ should know that Former Knight."

This could not be the same Seifer, he died along with Rinoa. Something was not right and Squall could not take it anymore. After all the time they had known each other as rivals, and almost as friends, Squall knew the real Seifer had let go of his "Knight" dreams long ago. So how could Ultemicia control him this time? What was going on?

"Seifer!" Screamed Squall as he readied his Gunblade. "One last fight, after this no more rematches. This time we will end our battles and whoever wins, wins. Nothing more. We've had too many of these as it is and, personally, I'm getting tired of beating you every time."

Seifer chuckled once more as he walked down from Rinoa's chamber with his Hyperion in hand. Raising it above his head, he sighed.

"One more time, Princess."((A/Nsome odd reference to Seifer calling him "The Ice Princess"))He teased. "One more time for me to prove to you that _I'm_ better."

As the rest of the group looked on, Max could not help but ponder over exactly _how_ Ultemicia had brought him back with him the only one who possessed the Reviving Crystal. Unless she had one in her possession, there would be no way to bring him back. This couldn't be the real Seifer Almasy.

"Squall!" Max said running over to him. "This isn't the real Seifer. It had to be a body double or some kind of illusion. Be very careful, even though he's not real he is probably a lot stronger than the Seifer you knew."

With a nod Squall raised his Gunblade.

"Ooh, you are good Former Knight." Laughed the fake Seifer. "Ultemicia made me from the memories of all of you and from that pitiful human you killed, Former Knight. And I can assure you I'm much stronger than _that_ pathetic little boy."

He may have not been a true friend, but that still left no reason to _not_ fight for him. Seifer may have never made SeeD but in a sense he was still on of the "Group" and as such, Squall knew what he had to do.

"You may be a double." Began Squall. "And while you look and sound like Seifer, I will destroy you and end this stupid game you seem to be playing."

The Fake Seifer slashed the air a few times, as his real counterpart would have done, and then leveled the Gunblade at Squall.

"And to think that I almost tricked you into believing me. Such a shame you had to figure it out, Princess."

The rest of the group stared on as the two prepared to finish the age-old duel. It seemed rather eerie to Max, all this fighting in the chamber that held Rinoa…

"Let's go!" Seifer screamed as they both rushed at each other.

With a shout Squall and Seifer began their final battle, and the began the battle against Ultemicia once again.

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Ooh! Final Battle of Seifer and Squall. Another cliffhanger one... well i hope you enjoyed reading it as much as i did writing it! _Vincent Sekod_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15 up already? amazing isn't it? I think this is the most amount of writing i've done in a while. I really appreciate all the reviews! It's you guys that keep me going! And i have to say... i'm actually really interested in my own story. Thanks for all the support you guys!

* * *

The first strike sent shockwaves throughout the entire memorial and blew not only Squall and the Fake Seifer back, but the rest of the group as well. Squall quickly recovered for a second attack as Seifer pushed off the ceiling to dive at him. He missed Squall and slammed into the floor with his Gunblade.

"Nice move Princess." He chuckled at Squall. "Try this one then."

With an almost supersonic spin, Seifer closed the gap between them and struck at Squall with a blazing flurry of attacks. As he fought to defend, Squall jumped into the air and onto the chamber that housed Rinoa. Springing forward he assaulted his opponent with one fast strike, which Seifer blocked with a smile crossing his face.

"Ooh, not too shabby." Snickered the Fake Seifer.

Squall slid to a stop in a few feet away from the Fake Seifer and stood facing him with his Gunblade ready. With another laugh, Seifer ran at him with his hand raised.

'A Fire Spell like the last time?' Thought Squall as he prepared for the attack.

He had guessed right and blocked the Fire blast back at Seifer as it reached him. He attempted to strike him right after but missed once again. This version of Seifer was definitely stronger.

"I could have sworn you were better than this, Leonhart." The Fake Seifer scoffed. "I think you've gotten soft on me."

Squall began to fire random spells at Seifer, who dodged them with ease, but never really counterattacked. As the rest of the group stared on in some kind of trance, Max continued his meditative state. The power to revive someone took much energy and concentration; something that he could not do without their help. As he sat there, eyes closed and breath deep and slow, the past memories began to make their way back to him. Past battles, the fight against his younger self, Ultemicia… Ultemicia.

"Still missed, Princess." Smirked the Fake Seifer.

His words rang true, every attack Squall attempted, Seifer either blocked or merely moved out of the way. It began to annoy him more than anything.

"Renzokuken!" Squall began his initial Limit attack.

However, every strike missed Seifer once more as he continued. He jumped back and raised his Gunblade towards the sky as a gigantic blast emanated from it.

"Blasting Zone!"

Squall brought the blast down upon Seifer with full force… or at least he hoped. As the blast cleared, Seifer emerged from the rubble with no smug smile like before. At least he had done some damage, thought Squall. The Fake Seifer stabbed the ground and pulled himself farther out of the rubble from the attack, no smug smirk on his face.

"You actually got me that time." Said Seifer, all laughter gone from his voice. "I'm surprised, Leonhart, I think I underestimated you."

"Glad I could liven up your day."

With another shout, Squall ran at Seifer, Gunblade at his side. He attempted another side slash, but once again, missed.

"Fine then." He said as he brought his hand to his face and out again. "Bahamut!"

If he couldn't beat him with his own strength, then the strength of the GF could help him. The massive Dragon GF flew from the clouds and charged up its Mega Flare attack, as Seifer stood there seemingly entranced by it. The GF's had learned a way to stun the enemy and make sure they received all the damage possible. In a way, it made it seem a bit cowardly, but Squall had no other choice unless…

"Now!" Screamed Squall.

Bahamut unleashed its fury on Seifer as he stood there motionless and took every blast of the attack in full force. Squall wasted no time in following up the attack with another limit break.

"Lion Heart!"

Almost the split second after Bahamut disappeared, he was on Seifer and initiated the first deadly attack. Too bewildered to comprehend the quick succession of attacks of Squall, Seifer left himself open to every single strike until he landed on the ground, defeated once again. Squall breathed heavily as he kneeled after the attack. He had nothing left to fight with and it showed. As the Fake Seifer's body disintegrated before them, the group raced to Squalls' aid. Max, however, merely stood, walked towards Rinoa's Chamber, and placed a hand on the cold glass-like exterior.

"Reverto suus phasmatis ex ultra." Max chanted as he placed the other hand on the chamber. He closed his eyes and called to the rest of the group. "Please bring Squall over here… he has the most memories of Rinoa. I'll need all your help later on."

They lifted Squall and moved him next to Max who opened his eyes and reached out one hand to him.

"If you can," He began. "Remember your fondest memory of Rinoa."

Squall lifted his hand up to Max, somewhat dead, and grabbed hold as tightly as he could. He thought back, back to that night on the balcony of Garden the night after they had defeated Ultemicia the first time. How he held her tight, how big and bright the moon was that night, when they first kissed…

"That's great Squall, just keep her memory alive."

He played it over and over. That one memory when he finally smiled, for the first time in his life actually _smiled_ sincerely. All the emotions he had felt since her death welled up inside him. As the tears began to fall, Squall gripped even tighter.

"Please bring her back, Max!"

With a quick nod Max began to focus more power onto Rinoa. He then turned to the res of the group.

"I need all of your strength right now. Please lend me your memories!"

They gathered around Max and Squall near the chamber and grabbed each other's hands. Max began chanting even louder and with more passion.

"Reverto suus phasmatis ex ultra!"

The rest soon joined in the chanting as a blue light began to cover them. As they continued, it grew and grew in brightness until it completely covered the entire Chamber Room. With one final chant Max opened his eyes and focused the blue light into Rinoa, who shook as it entered her heart.

"Rinoa Heartily," Began Max. "Return to this world and rid it once again of the Evil, oh Sorceress Rinoa!"

The blue light had emptied into her. She shook one last time and then… Rinoa Heartily opened her eyes and smiled once more.

* * *

Shes BACK! hee hee, you didn't think i'd actually make it where she WASN'T ressurected did you? lol Well i hope you liked reading it as much as i did writing it. _Vincent Sekod_


	16. Chapter 16

chapter 16! oh yeah! I was so amazed by how many reviews i got on the last chapter! I'm so glad you all like the story! 4 reveiws in one day! does happy dance... but notices everyone watching. ahem... Well on with the story!

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Max was as amazed as the others were, he had half expected the ritual to be a total failure, but here was Rinoa smiling at them. That smile only she had, the one for the people she cared about. As Rinoa looked around the room, she spotted Squall, his hand still tightly gripping Max's, and smiled even brighter. The clasps holder Rinoa in place disintegrated as she floated through the glass and to Squall. She hugged him and kissed him on his cheek.

"I'm here," She sobbed. "We promised, remember?"

Squall nodded and tired to stand, only to fall down. Zell and Irvine picked him up from the floor and with the rest of the group, made their way out of the Sorceress Memorial.

It took a few days for Squall to regain his strength and Rinoa stayed by his side the entire time.

"I thought I really had lost you." Said Squall as he lay on a bed in the Ragnarok. "I didn't think you'd ever come back to me."

"You think I would just die so easily?" Rinoa replied with a smile. "Besides, I don't think I could be happy if you weren't happy.

Squall's happiness had returned, something he knew lay within Rinoa's heart. His love for her kept him going in the tough situations they endured in the past. And that smile… it lightened his heart just a little every time she smiled. Rinoa looked out the window at the clouds slowly passing by the stationary Ragnarok.

"How long was I gone?" she asked still looking at the clouds.

"I don't know… I was out of it for a while too. But a lot has happened since then. Max left to find you, met Laguna, and had to rush back when things were going wrong in Garden. Now all this stuff with Ultemicia is happening, including that fake Seifer I had to defeat to free you. Everything is in a state of chaos."

Rinoa turned to him with a slight frown, but quickly smiled when she saw him notice it.

"You know," she began. "I never thought of myself as such an important person to everyone else. Makes me feel kind of special."

"Well you are."

They both chuckled as Max slipped into the room unnoticed by the happy couple.

"Hey how are you two?"

"Great." Squall and Rinoa both replied.

It was about time Squall could smile again, thought Max. Things still needed to be done however.

"Sorry to ruin this happy moment but, It's been about 5 days since this whole incident started and I think we had better get going. The longer we give Ultemicia, the stronger she gets."

He may have been blunt, but sometimes the truth needs to be. As He continued with his plan to over take Ultemicia at Tears Point and stop this crazy fiasco, he noticed a far off blast of light leading to the moon. No, this couldn't be it!

"The Lunar Cry?" Max said more to himself than the other two.

No. this was nothing like that. If Ultemicia had something to do with it, she'd most likely bring the moon down onto the planet. With a power as large as hers, it _is_ possible. As Max kept his eyes plastered on the beam of energy, Squall and Rinoa tried to capture his attention, until they saw what he was so fixated upon. Squall stood and looked out the window as well, trying to get a fix on what the beam was. He came up with nothing.

"Do you have any idea what that is, Max?" He asked turning to the young man.

"Either Ultemicia is starting another Lunar Cry or she plans to bring the moon down on us. Unless…"

He broke off. There might be one more possibility, if she were truly desperate to destroy all SeeD's. Using the moon as… No, she would not go that far. Then again, she might not be holding back this time. It could be done with her abilities.

"Squall," Started Max. "We need to get to Ultemicia very soon. If we don't, she will become even more powerful than she is now."

"How? She's already taken Rinoa's powers."

Max sighed and looked back at Rinoa.

"We will need you for this battle sorceress Rinoa. Without you we will fail." He turned to Squall. "Have everyone meet me in the conference room and I'll explain all of this there. Do it quickly please!"

He ran out of the room, leaving Squall and Rinoa somewhat dazed, but they went to round everyone up into the conference room. In the matter of a few minutes, the entire group had gathered there with Max standing near the large window staring at the sky as they all walked in. They each found a chair and waited for him to begin. Without turning, he began.

"The moon, it shines so brightly around here. It's always so vibrant. It has an unearthly power about it, and for that reason, Ultemicia is targeting it. She is sapping the power from it, the power that causes the Lunar Cry and random Monsters to fall onto this planet."

He turned to them with another gem in his hand. He lifted it into the air, where it floated and returned to speaking.

"The same power in that crystal is the power of the Moon. It can bring the dead back to life, kill anything in its path, be used for fuel, or heighten someone's magical powers. That's with a stone of this size… If Ultemicia get's an entire Moon's worth, I'm afraid there is nothing we can do to stop her, even with the help of Rinoa."

The gem drifted back into the palm of his hand.

"I have 7 stones. Each of which I am going to give you so that we might have a better chance at defeating Ultemicia." He hands each one of them a stone and keeps the last one for himself. "Hopefully with these we'll be able to beat her."

"How do we use their power?" Asked Squall.

"Simply place them on your chest and push." He demonstrated as he placed the crystal onto his chest and it melted into him. "That's all."

The rest followed suit and felt the power of the crystals flowing through them. It immediately heightened all of their powers.

"Now." Continued Max. "Let's get going before she realizes our plan to stop her."

* * *

I've kinda noticed this is a Max-heavy story... i hope you all dont mind. but i really ty to even out the main characters roles. (sorry for making some characters really small to all of their fans. Gomen!) I hope you liked reading it as much as i liked writing it! _Vincent Sekod_


	17. Chapter 17

Hey everyone. Another installment of "The Forgotten Son" Now we're up to chapter 17! Isn't it exciting! Hee hee. Well on with the story!

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With Selphie at the wheel of Ragnarok, they raced towards Tears Point at a speed that even the designers dared not to go. However, the time was drawing short and the group just _had_ to make it to Ultemicia before she gained the power of the Moon. Max paced around the bridge as they drew closer to their final destination. He had been pacing since they left the Sorceress Memorial and Squall snorted as it began to annoy him.

"Max," Said Squall. "Stop pacing like that. It's driving me crazy"

Max nodded and soon sat on the cold metal floor of the bridge, another meditative state. As he sat there, the memories of his past began to come back, the fight between him and his younger self had not gone well. Even though he had matured and gotten much stronger since leaving Ultemicia, he forgot the added strength her powers gave him when he was still her knight. It amazed him how much different he had become since leaving Ultemicia's homicidal grip. The hate and fury were no longer there, all his pain was gone… he actually had friends and people who cared for him and that he, too cared for.

"We're almost there." Said Rinoa as she shook him gently out of his trance. "You should get ready."

He nodded and grabbed his sword from where it leaned on the wall and strapped it onto his back. The others already had their weapons ready and stood ready as they saw Tears Point draw near. Monsters streamed out of Tears Point in all directions wave upon wave of them rushed at the Ragnarok as the group flew in closer. The ship cruised on as the waves of monsters continued until they arrived at the base of Tears Point. Selphie wasted no time in setting it down and preparing to leave.

"Alright," Began Squall. "Be ready for anything, who knows what Ultemicia plans to throw at us this time."

They proceeded to the back of the Ragnarok. Once they left the safety of the ship, another former foe attacked.

"You dare to trespass on Ultemicia's Realm, humans." Said Sphinxaur. "Prepare for your end."

It lunged at them, but in one smooth motion Max sliced it in half. They had no time to waste on Ultemicia's pets and definitely not if there were any more to get through. The more time they spent on the Guards of Ultemicia, the more power she would get.

"Squall, how many more of them are there?" Asked Max.

"There should be about 7 left." He replied. "Of course that's only if she brought all of them back."

Not good news, not good at all. If they waited any longer, Ultemicia could break through the outside barrier of the Moon. It would not be completely impossible to beat her then, but if she reached the core… there would be no chance for the planet.

"Why me?" asked Max more to himself than the group.

They battled their way though wave after wave of monsters nearing the center of Tears Point until…

"Pitiful humans, how dare you even show your selves here?"

Tri-point stood in their way, yet another Guard of her former Castle. As they group prepared to attack Max lifted his hand.

"Subsisto!"

Tri-point froze in mid air.

"Attero!"

The frozen Tri-point began to shake and after a few seconds exploded in what seemed like a small nuclear explosion. Two down, six more to go, thought Max.

"Max," Rinoa sounded a bit concerned. "Are you sure you should be using all this magic before we reach Ultemicia?"

"I'll be fine we just need to make it to her quickly. If we don't, there may not be a world to save."

In all honesty, he hadn't recovered even half of his magical powers after reviving Rinoa. The Moon crystal had helped, but there was still much more magic that needed to recover. The strain showed on Max's face as he forced a smile to show he would be okay to continue. Onward they fought.

"Watch the right!" Squall screamed as he cut a Mesmerize in two. "Be careful Zell, they're coming from every direction."

The blonde fighter nodded and attacked a group of Turtapods a few yards away.

After destroying a wall of monsters, Squall looked out and saw not only one, but three of Ultemicia's former Guards in their path.

'Krysta, Trauma, and the Red Giant?' thought Squall. 'They must really be trying to stop us this time.'

Squall began to run at them, but Max soon sped past him attacking all three of the Guards at once. With one gigantic spell, he disposed of the Guards and waved for the rest of the group to follow. Once they reached him, however, his smile had faded and he kneeled on the ground. His breaths came in short sharp pants as he tried to regain his composure.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Asked Zell as he kneeled down next to Max.

"Yeah," He replied with an even more strained smile. "I'll be just fine. Just needed a little breather after all that."

He stood once again and the group battled on. After a few more waves of monsters, the group met up with two of Ultemicia's former Guards.

"We will not let you humans pass!" the Guards said in unison.

In their way stood Gargantua and Catoblepas, two of Ultemicia's former guards wielding great power. Even the first time around they had been a challenge to defeat. Max sighed a bit and ran head first at them.

"Rending Flare!" In an instant, Max flew through both Guards with a flaming slash. The subsequent blast completely incinerated what was left of them and Max, once again, kneeled to the ground. His energy was waning fast, if he kept this up, there would be nothing left when they fought Ultemicia. He stood again before the rest of the group could reach him and waved them on to keep attacking.

"There's only one left, Max." Said Squall ass he reached him. "We can take on Tiamat."

Max nodded and stayed back as they fought through more waves of enemies. The rest would do him some good, he though, just a little break. He looked on as Squall and the others subdued Tiamat with a few attacks, but… why was he so sleepy all of a sudden?

"Hey Max." He told himself. "You have to stay awake…"

'Come my son, rest a while.'

Max fell into a world of darkness beckoned by his mother's voice.

"I'm coming mother, let's rebuild this world…"

* * *

hmm... i always had a feeling something odd might happen. Ah who knows, i might decide things differently for this. so...is there something deeper within the Forgotten son? We'll see! I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as i liked writing it! V_incent Sekod_


	18. Chapter 18

Two chapters in two days... there must be something wrong with me lol! Well i hope you all like this chapter! On with the story!

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"Huh? What's this?" Max floated in complete darkness, actually now that he looked about, he was falling. He kept falling, but he felt no wind, nor could he see the bottom. An endless dark abyss. Max thought he knew this place, as if he had once been there before. Then he remembered, this had to be the darkness of his heart. His heart while he was with Ultemicia. Even while under her control, Max had hated the evil and hate deep within himself, and fought with all his might to overpower it. But, he thought, hadn't he already overcome this darkness? Maybe not fully…

"Hey," Said Max as though he had just woken up. "Everybody, let's hurry up to Ultemicia."

He hoped for, but did not expect an answer from the dark void around him. Maybe one voice from his new friends, just someone's voice would be enough.

"Hello my son," Ultemicia's voice came as the only answer. "Welcome home."

"Mother?" Max shook his head.

This couldn't actually be happening, could it? How could she still reach his mind even after breaking farther away from her control?

"Yes son, I am here. I have been searching for you and now you have come back to me, back to your home."

Her voice did anything but comfort him. He had to escape from this place; he had given up his Sorceress Knight dreams long ago. No more, no more pain, no more darkness, Ultemicia had no control over him anymore!

"No! I will not let you do this to me!"

"But my son, you said we could rebuild the world."

Max stopped falling into the darkness.

"My Friends and I will rebuild the world and you have no power over that! I don't care if I am your child; I refuse to let you destroy a world still filled with strong and caring people like Squall and Rinoa to protect it!"

He began to glow a faint blue as his magical powers rose. He was going to do whatever he could to free himself for this dark prison, and if it meant using what little magic he had left to do so, so be it.

"No my son! Do not do this! Don't you want to be my loyal Knight once again? To serve beside me as we rule our new world together!"

Max did not answer. As he raised his magic to it limits he let out one last scream as it exploded around him and dissolving the darkness that covered him. As the darkness cleared from his sight, Max saw that he had not moved from his previous spot and the others were now closing in on him. He glanced only for a second as they approached and soon he fell to the ground. Had he really used _that_ much magic to free himself?

"Max! Max!" Rinoa ran to him and lifted him. "Come on Max wake up! You have to wake up!"

Max opened his eyes and smiled a bit.

"There you are!" Said Rinoa with a nervous giggle.

He looked so much older now, she though, had he always looked like that?

"Rinoa," Breathed Max. "Just go on, ill be okay right here. Get to Ultemicia and beat her."

"No we can't leave you like this!" She turned to the group running to them. "Right Squall, we can't leave him!"

Squall nodded back and lifted Max on his shoulder holding one side. Zell tried to help him carry max, but Squall simply shook his head.

"We need as many people to fight as possible right now. You guys keep moving forward."

As Squall semi-dragged Max with him, the rest of the group continued to fight the gigantic masses of monsters on their way to Ultemicia. With tow of the strongest fighters currently either dragging or being dragged, the battles too a bit longer than they had hoped, but after tackling three Ruby Dragons, they could see Ultemicia standing in the center of Tears Point. The monsters seemed to stay away from this area and left a wide-open path to the main cause of the chaos surrounding them. Squall set Max down near the entrance to the area and began to walk towards Ultemicia until he felt Max tug on his leg.

"Wait." He said dropping his hand rather pitifully. "You can't… fight her yet. If you fight her now… she'll kill us all."

Squall stood there a bit confused.

"What do you mean? I thought you said if we wait any longer, she'd be able to gather the power of the Moon."

Max nodded back. It was true, the longer they waited the closer she would come to reaching the Moon's core, but something seemed off about this whole situation. He looked up at Squall.

"I don't feel right about this." His energy was beginning to return, much quicker than he thought. 'Wait.' He thought. 'Maybe she's charging her magic here.'

The rest of the group still hung around Max and Squall, and Max noticed them all glowing slightly.

"Hey!" He called to them. "Do you guys feel your magic returning?"

They all nodded to him.

"So I guess I was right. Ultemicia is recharging herself in this place." He stood with no help from the others and drew his sword. "After we all gain back our magic we will attack. I want Quistis, Selphie and Irvine to make sure none of us dies. Zell, Rinoa, and Squall you will come with me for a frontal assault. We will need every bit of strength you can muster. Everyone… We may not make it out of this alive, but if I die, I could not be happier than to have met this group of friends. Thank you."

Squall walked up to Max and patted him on the shoulder.

"We won't let you die." He smiled.(A/N yes SMILED)"I won't let Ultemicia kill another one of us."

Max smiled back and felt his power fully return. This would be it, the final battle with Ultemicia. A Son and Mother, Sorceress and Knight. With his friends behind him and ready to battle, Max Caron walked forward to face his ultimate enemy with light in his heart and strength in his soul.

* * *

So much has happened to the Final Fantasy VIII crew... and much more will happen. How will this battle turn out? If things go the way i want... this chapter could take a while to write so stay with it! I hope you liked reading this chapter as much as i did writing it! _Vincent Sekod_


	19. Chapter 19

i know i said this chapter would take a while... but i just couldn't stop myself from writing it... so addictive! lol Well on with the story.

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After so many years, it had come to this. One last battle against another previous foe. When had all of this started anyway? Was it that first SeeD exam? Squall had no idea where it began, but he knew that it _had_ to end this time. The walk towards Ultemicia dragged on for what felt like hours, but as the finally reached her it almost felt too quick. The Sorceress turned to them with that sinister smile, that almost every Sorceress seemed to have, and began to laugh.

"Children," She laughed. "SeeDs… SeeDs SeeDs SeeDs. Curse all SeeDs! You fought me last time and I was too weak to stop you, but this time is different! I will not let you humiliate and destroy me once more. This time I will destroy all SeeDs!"

She laughed even louder as the group began to close in on her. Max stood at the head of the group ready to attack, when Ultemicia stopped laughing and looked at her son. Her face contorted into the most hideous grimace as he came closer.

"You!" She cried pointing at him. "You disloyal child! How _dare_ you show your face here! You have sided with the ones that have been charged to kill us! How could you betray me this way my Knight? Was it not I that gave you strength when you were weak? Did I not give you power?"

"Enough!" screamed Max. "I have had enough of this! All my life I have been tortured and tormented by your evil powers, but no more! I will not let you control me or try to sway me any longer!"

Max readied his sword, as did the others with their weapons.

"This time around I will kill you and make sure you _never_ return!"

Max Ran at his mother at full speed, with Squall, Rinoa, and Zell right behind him.

"Now you will die!"

He began attacking her but his slashes missed their marks with every stroke. Squall and Rinoa joined in the fray and soon their combined attacks struck Ultemicia. Even with the help of Squall, Rinoa, and Zell, Max had a hard time landing any blows, but continued nonetheless. Ultemicia laughed at their feeble attempts to attack her and blasted them all away with a Maelstrom Spell.

"You pitiful SeeDs!" She snickered. "You cannot hurt me this time. I am far more powerful than our last encounter."

As Ultemicia raised her hand to cast another spell, Max rushed in just fast enough to land a blow on her and stopping the spell. Moving on this momentary lapse in her composure, Squall and Rinoa charged Ultemicia, striking her right after each other. She flew back and hit the center section of Tears Point with a slight cracking sound. As she hit the ground, Irvine shot a rain of bullets at her as Selphie and Quistis unleashed their limit breaks of Shockwave Pulsar and "The End". The barrage of attacks from everyone proved to be too much as Ultemicia took every blow with its full force. Only after a slight pause in the groups attacks, could she recover and blast them all away with another Maelstrom spell.

"Curse you SeeDs! Very well then, I shall give you my punishment. The ultimate GF, Griever, Come to my aid once again!"

Ultemicia raised her hand as a small orb formed and threw it into the ground. Soon, the background of Tears Point melted away as the GF Griever flew down to greet Max, Rinoa, and Squall. The rest of the group had suddenly disappeared and left those three to fight alone. The GF had definitely looked better. Its once proud mane, now tattered, seemed almost ready to fall off in chunks. Its wings looked no better and, in fact, Max wondered how the poor GF stayed airborne in such a decrepit state. Squall, however, knew much better than to give in to the creatures' horrible state and began his attack.

"Eden!" He called forth the most powerful GF they gained on their previous journey to defeat Ultemicia. After its long entrance and charge up of its attack, Squall called to it.

"Eden, unleash your, Eternal Breath!"

Eden blasted Griever with its attack and the decrepit GF landed in front of the group of three barely able to stay in the air. As Max and Rinoa attacked it further, Griever fell completely to the ground on all fours, unable to regain flight. With one final blow, Squall destroyed the GF and Tears Point came back into the background, as did their friends and Ultemicia.

"No! How could you defeat Griever?" The Sorceress screamed.

Ultemicia picked up what little remained of the GF and pressed it close to herself.

"I shall join with Griever, and show you my power!"

The pieces of the defeated GF dissolved into her and she flew into the air turning into an odd Griever-Ultemicia ball that throbbed with a strange pulse. It floated above the group for a few moments before finally uncurling and revealing Griever and Ultemicia half formed as one. This was beginning to look like the last time they fought her, thought Squall. Some things should never be repeated. As the fused Ultemicia-Griever monster floated down to them Squall and the rest of group prepared for another full-out attack.

"Squall." Said Max. "Let's try this together, ill attack her first and you finish her off okay?"

With a single nod both Squall and Max jumped into the air after Ultemicia.

"Soul Flare!"

Max shot out a flare spell at the fused monster and attacked with one slash clean through. Making sure to keep up the devastating attack, Squall began his Lionheart Limit Break and completely decimated the bottom half of the creature. The upper half of Ultemicia-Griever struggled to keep in control and flailed around as it remained in the air. The creature definitely had very little health left and with a combined limit attack of the rest of the group it quickly disintegrated into the air. An odd calmness covered Tears Point as the monsters around them vanished along with their friends once again.

"Is it over?" Asked Max.

"No." Said Rinoa with her weapon still ready. "If this keeps going like last time… she'll come back one more time."

As they suspected, complete darkness replaced Tears Point and once again the Ultimate form of Ultemicia showed its face, or lack thereof. Something seemed different about her this time, however, something hidden deep within.

"My children." The faceless Ultemicia spoke. "I am the pure form of Ultemicia. Now you shall see my true power SeeDs!"

The "ground" around her erupted in flames as her power rose to its pinnacle. Even to Squall her power had grown since their last encounter. Maybe this was the time…

"Rinoa!" Cried Max. "Repeat these words… Ego redimio vos , malum. Ego exuo vos of totus vox in vultus of bonus. Redimio."

She repeated his words without delay but before she could complete it, Ultemicia cast her Apocalypse spell and reduced their health to almost nothing. Squall quickly healed them all.

"Complete the spell Rinoa! He said with haste. "Or she'll attack us again!"

Rinoa drew on all of her magical powers and repeated Max's spell before Ultemicia could react. In an instant, all movement of Ultemicia stopped and Max breathed a sigh of relief. For the second time, an ancient spell had worked. First Rinoa's resurrection and now this. With her bound by the spell, Max could finally end the ridiculous game she was playing and stop the destruction of the world he loved so much.

"Squall," began Max. "Take Rinoa farther away, when I finish Ultemicia there may be an explosion and she looks kind of drained."

"Alright," relied Squall. "Come on Rinoa, we have to get away from here." He lifted her and began to run from Ultemicia's frozen form. Max, however, walked towards her.

"Hello mother." He continued towards her. "It's been a long journey hasn't it? Look where it has taken us. Whoever thought your once loyal Knight would do this to you?"

He closed in on her and reached out to touch her. His own flesh and blood, his mother, his enemy, everything he hated about himself and the world stood before him, just waiting for him to rip from this world. He rubbed his hand on her once more and then floated into the air, his sword poised to land the final strike.

"Good bye mother. Now I can live in a world free from your hatred and free from your control." He raised his sword. "Farewell."

Max began to plunge his sword into Ultemicia's heart, but at that same moment, a tiny bit of her energy pierced his heart as well. He did not notice until he had forced his sword deep into her that he too had been hit.

"What?" He looked down at his bleeding chest. "No! M-mother!"

With what little life Ultemicia had left, she smiled.

"Welcome home… my son."

Squall made sure to get far enough away, but as he turned back to see what had happened the explosion knocked him onto the "ground". He got up and looked off into the distance, but no trace of Ultemicia or Max remained.

"Max? Squall ran back to where Max should have been, but… "Max! Where are you?" He searched all around the area they fought Ultemicia and found only one thing… Max's sword. As he looked over the blade writing began to appear. He could barely read it but he could tell what it said.

"_Squall,_" began the inscribing. "_Thank you for everything, and please keep this world full of love and strength._"

Squall tightened his grip on the sword.

"No Max, thank you."

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My my... but... what happened to everyone after this... stay tuned for an epilogue next chapter. It should be nice for all you RinoaxSquall fans.:) Well i hope you liked reading it as much as i like writing it_! Vincent Sekod_


	20. Chapter 20

Max has left us... things have changed... and everyone must move on. Here's the LAST chapter of this story! Enjoy this cute little epilogue!

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A few weeks after the final battle with Ultemicia, everyone tried to relax around Garden and have things get back to normal. With the loss of Max, however, it proved a harder task that they thought. Squall had taken the loss a bit harder than the rest, but he knew why Max left them. He may have not been with the group for long, but deep inside, Max Caron had become one of them. A SeeD at heart. As Squall sat on the edge of the Garden Balcony, he let the light breeze play with his short strands of hair. Such a nice breeze, he thought.

"There you are!"

Squall turned a bit to see Rinoa walking closer to him and smiled as she drew near.

"I had a feeling I'd find you here." She giggled as she hugged him. "Are you going to be okay?"

Squall nodded and held her tighter. He never wanted to let go of her, not ever again. After losing her twice already, he promised himself that. If he had to fight Hyne itself, he would do it to keep her close. They walked over to the edge of the balcony, hands intertwined, and as Squall looked out to the ocean scene before them, Rinoa placed a light peck on his cheek. He smiled, just like that first time after defeating Ultemicia.

"I think you missed." He chuckled. He brought her even closer to him and kissed her. He did not even realize how much he missed her soft lips touching his, how much he missed her body close to his. When did he first feel this… pain of missing her? He wanted the moment to last forever as they continued to kiss. He broke it off for a moment and looked down at her.

"I've been without you for too long… I love you so much Rinoa." He held her close to him. Wait… was he crying? Yes, Squall let the tears fall as they held each other.

"It's okay Squall," comforted Rinoa. "You won't lose me again, I promise."

"No, _I_ promise I won't let anything else happen to you."

Rinoa could do nothing but try to comfort him; the past events must have taken a bigger toll on him than she thought. Squall wiped his eyes and walked to the other side of the balcony towards the sunset.

"It was horrible to think I'd lose you." He said. "That first time was hard enough, but seeing you die…"

She embraced him from behind with a deep sigh.

"I know, but I have you here to make sure that doesn't happen again, right?"

She smiled at him as he turned around and kissed her once more.

"Right."

They looked out towards the sun. Such a peaceful night. As they watched the sun go down Rinoa saw a shooting star fall from the sky.

"I know, Max." She whispered. "We'll protect this world."

"What was that?" Asked Squall.

"Oh nothing." Rinoa smiled. "Hey… I wonder if anyone is on the bridge. I hear hardly anyone comes up there."

She winked and giggled as she dragged him from the balcony.

'Thank you, Max.' thought Rinoa as she continued to drag Squall away. 'Thank you for all you've done for Squall and us.'

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I remember starting this story and going "What? no no, none of this will ever catch readers." but i stand corrected. Thank you all for your support and reviews. I really appreciate all of you who stuck around with this story from the beginning. Thank you all so much! I hope you all liked reading this story as much as i did writing it. _Vincent Sekod_


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